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Category: Videos
Mar 10, 2010 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Here's the secret and it was before I created Rose's Heavenly Cake Strips--the silicone bands that encircle the cake pan and require no moistening or fastening.
Mar 03, 2010 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Is there anything more delicious than this simple mixture of chocolate and heavy cream? Watch how quick and easy it is to make!
Feb 24, 2010 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
See why weighing flour is so much faster, easier, and more accurate than measuring it!
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Feb 17, 2010 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Producer and director of my PBS show Baking Magic with Rose, Margie Poore, and I put together these tips as a special holiday fund raiser for her local San Francisco PBS station KQED.
One tip segment will post every Wednesday starting next week.
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Feb 10, 2010 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
This is the Double Chocolate Valentine Cake from Rose's Heavenly Cakes. Now you will get to see exactly how it is made.
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Dec 12, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
These are my favorite rolled sugar cookies (recipe in Rose's Christmas Cookies) It was great being a guest on Dede Wilson's show Seasonings as she is a good friend and terrific baking author. We always had fun doing her show--more to come in the months ahead.
Oct 21, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Now that you've seen so many of my current DVD's I thought it would be fun to post my old demo tape to see what it was like "in the beginning"!
TV shows always ask for a tape of performances to access how well an author is able to perform. Having a compilation of vignettes over the years was very helpful when touring the country with a new book. Now-a-days satellite media tours called SMTs are favored over traveling to different cities as they save everyone time, money, and energy. They're actually pretty grueling as various stations sign up and make appointments with the producer and every 10 minutes or so the author goes live via satellite, doing the same demo but answering varying questions from the host of the specific station. Buy it only lasts for about four hours as opposed to two weeks so well worth doing.
I hope you enjoy viewing this tape just to get an idea of what the shows were like when I did go on location.
Oct 14, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Introducing Woody Wolston
I never expected to have a true and totally reliable assistant to work with me on developing and perfecting recipes, least of all one who lives several states away. But the universe can offer surprising gifts and thanks to the modern technology of the internet and digital cameras, my newest book has had the great benefit of the presence of Woody Wolston. For those of you who are curious about how such an amazing arrangement came to be, I have asked Woody to come forward and write about it from his perspective.
Continue reading "The Making of A Recipe Tester/Cookbook Collaborator" »
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Oct 07, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Lacquer Glaze
The shiniest of chocolate glazes
Crystallized Lemon Rose
Making a rose decoration from lemon peel.
Spun Sugar
There is nothing in baking more magical or dramatic so we saved this for the grand finale!
Continue reading "Rose’s Heavenly Cakes DVD Part 9" »
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Oct 06, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
For those of you interested in how wheat is grown, you will enjoy this short charming video that follows wheat from grain to flour.
http://www.howwheatworks.com/?user=cf41bc8f14325ddcbd6fe0193fc51d88
Sep 30, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Decorative Piping
The basic techniques for piping buttercream
Piping Ladyfingers
Finishing piping demo and then a new technique using Wondra flour and the right amount of cream of tartar makes it fool proof and the results are well worth the effort!
Sep 29, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
What an amazing moment—the book is finally here and it’s everything I wanted to be and more! Thanks to all of you who support me with your wonderful comments and valued appreciation.
Some of you may already know that Marie Wolf over at www.HeavenlyCakePlace.blogspot.com has been baking her way through my book and blogging about it – I’m so honored and flattered! Now, in celebration of the official publication date, she has some exciting news to share (click on the video below to find out)… Be sure to allow it to load completely before viewing so that you don’t get those annoying pauses I so dislike!
I can’t wait to see who signs up and to read your stories and see your rendition of my cakes!
Blissful Baking,
Rose
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Sep 23, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Layer Cakes
Techniques and equipment for cutting layers and frosting.
Tiering Cakes
Techniques for constructing multi-tiered cakes
Continue reading "Rose’s Heavenly Cakes DVD Part 7" »
Sep 16, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Mousseline: The King of Buttercreams
You will see exactly how the texture should look at various stages and never fear it again!
Ganache: The Ultimate Chocolate Frosting
So quick, so easy, so fabulous!
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Sep 11, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
One of my all time favorite chefs is Michael Lomonaco who was the chef at Windows on the World and fortunately survived the horror of 9-11 as he was on the main floor of the World Trade Tower picking up his glasses at a Cohen Optics.
When I did this segment on his show it was filmed in his kitchen on the top floor of the building and I was there between the hours of 7 and 10 am so of course it hit home how it could have been on that fateful day instead where tragically everyone up there died. I still remember the extraordinary view. It had rained the day before so the clarity was amazing. To the North I could see all the way up to Bear Mountain where I had spent many a childhood Sunday, and to the East, Far Rockaway and the Atlantic Ocean, where I had been born.
Michael had told me that his favorite pie was pumpkin so that was the one I chose to demonstrate. I promised him the best one he had ever tasted and he did, in fact, agree as he put it on the holiday menu for the entire month of Thanksgiving.
As a side note, I prepared the filling ahead of the filming on his bank of burners referred to as the piano. I will never forget the intensity of heat generated by that bank of high BTU burners hidden by cast iron plates. It felt hotter than the Masada (which if you've ever been to Israel and climbed to the top you will know is hotter than the hinges of hell). As another aside, I was in the cable car that stalled half way up to the top of the Masada. This was over 35 years ago and I still recall the airline hostess shouting: "We're all going to die!" and her boyfriend reproaching her in Hebrew saying "Shecket!" (which means shut up--that much Hebrew I knew.) "You're supposed to be reassuring people even though you're not on a plane." I wasn't a bit afraid--I was too young to realize fully that anything that bad could happen when one is not in her own country.
Back to that bank of burners--I didn't last long there, in fact, I understood for the first time why some chefs have a reputation of being a Gordon Ramsy type personality. If I had to work all day by that kind of heat I might be a little less charming myself! Not dear Michael Lomonaco, however. He was the soul of hospitality as you will see when you click on this link.
Continue reading "Ode to Windows on the World" »
Sep 09, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Everything You Need to Know about Walnuts and Almonds
including how to encrust the sides of a cake
Decorative Piping Including Making and Piping Lady Fingers
DVD2
Continue reading "Rose’s Heavenly Cakes DVD Part 5" »
Sep 02, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Preparing Angel Food Cake Pans
Preparing Cheese Cake Pans and How to Prepare the Ideal Water Bath.
Aug 26, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Pan Preparation: Layer Cake Pans, Silicone Pans, Fluted Tube Pans
Specific methods for preparing each type of pan.
Continue reading "Rose’s Heavenly Cakes DVD Part 3" »
Aug 19, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Eggs, Liquid, Vanilla Beans, Citrus Zest
Preparing these ingredients for use in cake baking.
Continue reading "Rose’s Heavenly Cakes DVD Part 2" »
Aug 18, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Announcements
A year has gone by since one of my life dream projects was drawn together: the new Rose's Heavenly Cakes DVD produced by Gold Medal Flour. This video is designed to accompany the book with the same name! It will be available for online viewing in high definition at the Wiley website with a link from the blog. All the segments from this video is also appearing every week on youtube, but not in high definition.
And for all of you who requested an actual DVD disc, here is a note from Hector:
Greetings from Hector: your cake baker, devoted Rose worshiper, and now DVD man. I am delighted to inform you that the master recordings of Rose's new DVDs produced by Gold Medal Flour were handed to me for the purpose of shipping copies to everyone who would like an actual disc for just the cost of duplication and mailing. Share the love and help archive a piece of Rose, for the first time ever, on DVD. These are at much higher definition than possibly available thru the internet. It does't get closer than this!
At the present moment, I am shipping the BREAD DVD (set of 1 disc). To receive your copy, please write your name and mailing address on an address label or on a 2 x 3.5 inch piece of paper (the back of a business card will do), enclose a check for $10 payable to HECTOR WONG, and send it to 2888 ALA ILIMA ST, STE 2611, HONOLULU, HAWAII 96818. Please indicate on your check: BREAD DVD. You could also paypal to
myyellowkitchen@gmail.com
The CAKE DVD is a set of 2 discs. $20. These can be available later on 2010. It is important to let me know how many discs I need to duplicate, as the batch copying runs 200 discs at once. You can post a note on this thread or e-mail me at the above g-mail address.
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Aug 12, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
This beautifully produced DVD illustrates, as no other medium can do as effectively, a wide range of tips and techniques of cake making. Together with the book itself, which contains over 100 beautiful photographs and detailed text you will have the whole cake story—in short, everything you need to know to turn out heavenly cakes.
Starting today, with this first three of 23 segments on You Tube, there will be a new video posting every Wednesday for the next 8 weeks until September 29, the official publication date of the book!
The entire DVD, both in standard and high definition (part 1 and 2) will soon be available to download from the blog. You will see the link on the home page and I will post when it is ready.
Hector generously will make hard copies available for just the price of reproduction and shipping if there is enough interest. Meantime, here is your first sneak preview:
Of course it begins with flour—the heart and soul of baking.
Part One: Flour, Sugar, Butter (the holy trinity of cake baking)
What type to choose, how to measure accurately, and the benefits of weighing ingredients.
Continue reading "Rose’s Heavenly Cakes DVD Produced By Gold Medal Flour" »
Aug 05, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
This is perhaps the most ethereal and yet intensely aromatically lemon pie I know. You'll be surprised how easy it is to make. Because it is not overly sweet I named it Lemon Pucker Pie and actually trade-marked the name!
Continue reading "PBS Lemon Pucker Pie" »
Jul 29, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
What a blessing to have a show devoted to this rare technique! You won't believe how a ball of dough the size of a small fist can be stretched to translucent thinness and the size of a coffee table. Amy Coleman, who was host of the show Home Cooking, produced by Marjorie Poore, had become a good friend after several appearances on her show and it shows! we had a ball together (and not just a ball of dough!)
Continue reading "PBS Apple Strudel" »
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Jul 22, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
This is, quite possibly--no! probably, the creamiest cheesecake ever. A substantial amount of sourcream gives it a wonderfully mellow tang and topping it with lemon curd is my favorite way to eat it. Another terrific way to enjoy lemon curd and/or lemon curd lightened with whipped cream is in a gossamer golden cake roll also on this segment.
This is the last segment of my PBS series. There will be two more PBS appearances and then in mid August stay tune for the upcoming DVD, produced by General Mills/Gold Medal Flour to demonstrate more special tips and techniques from the new book Rose's Heavenly Cakes.They will start to air on YouTube with a link from the blog, thanks to the dedication of Hector Wong, who will also make them available in hard copy if there is an adequate demand. They will also be available on the John Wiley site in a higher resolution than on YouTube.
Continue reading "PBS 113: Cheesecake and Lemon Curd Cake Roll" »
Jul 15, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
This chocolate cake, dedicated to tenor Placido Domingo, will probably always be my favorite chocolate layer cake. I framed the telegram he sent me saying: After tasting your cake, I am proud to have it named the Chocolate Domingo. Bravo! Placido Domingo
The White Velvet Cake (dedicated to no one in particular) continues to be one of the most popular cakes for weddings and special celebrations.
Continue reading "PBS 112: Chocolate Domingo Cake and White Velvet Cake" »
Jul 08, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
This is IT! When I say this is my favorite I mean that if I were left with just one sweet it would be the Sticky Buns. I make mine with a rich buttery brioche dough. Brioche rides the borderline of cake, pastry, and bread so I have used this as an excuse to include it in all three of my bibles! Now you will see how easy they are to make. Yes--they do take time--but boy are they worth it.
Continue reading "PBS 111: Brioche and Sticky Buns" »
Jul 01, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
This is the easiest no fail recipe for classic buttercream with no thermometer needed. But it's no fail only if you watch this video! Note how the entire surface of the syrup is bubbling which means it is hot enough to cook the egg yolks without over-cooking them and how the butter is added only when the yolk/syrup mixture is cool to the touch!
I promise you will adore the Brownie Puddle Tart. It will appear as individual brownies in the upcoming book.
Continue reading "PBS 110: Buttercream Icing and Brownie Puddle Tart" »
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Jun 25, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
This is a great demo of how to use my cake strips for a variety of different size pans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq0kdIFILbU
Be sure to keep in mind that rubber bands may not be suitable to use in the oven. Hector uses these special silicone bands.
These are the elastic bands Hector uses to keep the strips in place:
http://www.amazon.com/Architec-SCBMP-Stretch-Multicolor-20-Package/dp/B000RODBZK/ref=pd_sbs_hg_3
You can use the metal clamps to shorten the length of the strips when necessary.
Jun 24, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Here are my two favorite muffins: My version of the traditional blueberry muffin and a giant size muffin/bread I call the Stud Muffin because it is studded with cheese which creates lacy cheese lined holes in the crumb and crunchy/chewy caramelized cheese on the crust. (YUM!)
Continue reading "PBS 109: Blueberry Muffins and The Stud Muffin" »
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Jun 17, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
These days I use extra meat (6 ounces/170 grams) in in the Prosciutto Bread including hot sopresata sausage and pepperoni. It is so delicious and, as you will see, so very easy to make.
The Gâteau au Grand Marnier et Chocolat is many people's favorite from The Cake Bible.It keeps so long and ships so well it is the one I make most often for my father in upstate NY. In response to many requests over the past 20 years I am offering it as a three-tier wedding cake in the upcoming book!
Continue reading "PBS 108: Prosciutto Bread and Grand Marnier Cake" »
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Jun 10, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
This segment is intended to be a lesson in my basic mixing technique for the American butter layer cake and the French Génoise. There is no better way to see the consistency of the layer cake batter and the all important consistency of the génoise when it has been beaten for the full amount of time.
Continue reading "PBS 107: All-American Chocolate Torte and French Génoise" »
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Jun 03, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
I really have to stop saying that each recipe I offer on these videos is my favorite but what can I tell you--they all are. That's why I chose them for my first PBS series! Cramberry Walnut Bread, cousin to the Raisin Pecan Bread, is one of the bread I make most often to bring to dinner parties as a hostess present. (They always serve it for the dinner--it makes a perfect accompaniment to a cheese course.)
Continue reading "PBS 106: Cranberry Walnut Bread" »
May 27, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake is my signature cake. Soon after it appeared in The Cake Bibleit became part of the permanent collection at Starbucks as well!
The Sourcream Coffee Cake is such a favorite I've included it in almost every book I've done since, changing the shape or tweaking it further toward perfection. Yes! It will appear in the upcoming Rose's Heavenly Cakesusing melted butter for a crisper crumb topping and adding it after the first 35 minutes of baking so that none of it sinks into the cake.
Continue reading "PBS 105: Lemon Poppy Seed Cake & Sourcream Coffee Cake" »
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May 20, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Two beloved American classics. You will see how beautifully silicone pans work for a pineapple up-side-down cake. But as an alternative, don't use a cast iron pan as the acidity of the pineapple destroys the curing of the pan and may give an off color and flavor to the topping. Instead line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment.
Continue reading "PBS 104: Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Topless Apple Pie" »
May 13, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Food and Wine Magazine chose this recipe from my book The Pie and Pastry BIbleto include in their Best of the Bestcookbook. It's my favorite as well. So on this segment I coupled it with the favorite cake/torte in The Cake BibleThe Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte.
Continue reading "PBS 103: Chocolate Pies and Tortes" »
May 06, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
There is little more luscious than a banana cream pie or toothsome than this pecan tart. Heavy cream and Lyle's golden syrup conspire to making the pecan filling less sweet and more flavorful than usual. This is the perfect Thanksgiving dessert.
Continue reading "PBS 102: Banner Banana Cream Pie & Chocolate Lace Pecan Tart" »
Apr 29, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
I thought this cake was the absolute best orange chiffon ever until I revisited it as a layer cake without a center tube. Practice your skills with this recipe and you'll be ready for the new creation in the upcoming Rose's Heavenly Cakes!
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Apr 28, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
The Bread DVD that I made with General Mills/Gold Medal flour is now live on Youtube and will have a permanent link on the home page of this blog.
If you'd like to see the basics of bread preparation from kneading to shaping, slashing, and baking click here.
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Apr 22, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Ripen the bananas until they are full of black speckles and you will have the best tasting banana cake. Try baby bananas for a special treat. They are slightly sweeter and have a more intense banana flavor.
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Apr 21, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
I was a very shy little girl but when it came to “show and tell” I forgot all about myself in my eagerness to share an exciting discovery. It was hands down my favorite subject in school.
Many years later, shortly before the Cake Bible was born, Barbara Kafka, renowned cookbook author and food editor of Vogue magazine, took me to lunch. Barbara is known for her sharp wit and generous support of people starting out in the food profession. Toward the end of the meal, she asked me: "What are your three wishes?" Not realizing that she was playing fairy godmother, and delighting in what I thought to be a hypothetical exercise, I started off with my biggest wish at the time: to have a baby. She looked a bit startled but quickly regained her composure saying: "I can't help you there; but I can tell you that when you're so busy you can't do another thing, that's when it will happen.” Then she prompted me for my second wish. "I want to write a cookbook" I said without hesitation. That's easy replied Barbara. I'll introduce you to my editor. My heart soared. “And your third wish” asked Barbara? I took the leap and dared to reply: "I want to have my own TV show." To my total shock Barbara’s dry response was: “you and der ganse velt!” When she saw my quizzical expression she translated it for me as: you and everyone else or literally: you and the whole world! She misunderstood my questioning look. Growing up with a Yiddish speaking grandmother I knew what the expression meant, I just wasn't expecting to hear it come out of so sophisticated a mouth!
I will always be grateful to Barbara. I learned from this experience that people can help just by encouraging you to give voice to your ideas and to put them out into the universe. I am now in the process of fulfilling my first and second wish with my ninth cookbook, but not in that order. These books, and the many people who follow my recipes and share their ideas and responses with me, have become my children.
Continue reading "PBS Three Wishes" »
Apr 15, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Charlie Rose rarely if ever had cookbook authors on his show so I felt really honored and somewhat terrified to be invited down to Washington D.C. to be a guest. In fact, in the opening segment it seems to me I look rather like a deer in the headlights. But the amazing thing that happened was that I really really liked Charlie and he was so kind and gracious I gradually became less guarded and started to enjoy myself. It's fun to watch how I grew more and more comfortable with him to the point where I actually jokingly accused him of hacking away at my cake.!..you'll see......
Continue reading "Charlie Rose 1988" »
Apr 08, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
I had such a delightful time with David Rosengarten as host, I been dreaming ever since of a regular show together--we could call it Rose n' Rosengarten!
Continue reading "David Rosengarten" »
Apr 01, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
In 1992 and 1993, respectively, I published my two ‘cooking’ cookbooks Rose’s Celebrations and Rose’s Melting Pot.(They are no longer in print but are usually available for a very nominal price through Amazon.)
In Rose’s Melting Pot, I included my recipe for tandoori chicken and the story of how I fell in love with the Indian culture and the wonderful month I spent in India attending a wedding of my friends’ family. As a result, I was invited by New Jersey Public Television to be the host of a show featuring the Indian communities of Edison, where so many settled in good part due to its proximity to Newark Airport.
I appear in several segments including a demo in the last one of tandoori chicken. And I did the “voice over” for the segments which feature religious festivals, music, art, and dance. When I took the train to Trenton, NJ, to the studio where I did the voice-over, I felt like it was a victory ride. When I was 19, and had left college, I worked in Trenton in a brake-lining factory, typing orders from one handwritten form to another. It was the most horrifyingly boring job I’ve ever had, causing me to make many mistakes in transcription, and it drove me back to continue my education in the hope that life would present a more promising occupation. I never would have imagined returning to Trenton all those years later as the host of a tv show , so beautifully produced by Linda Brown it was nominated for a Beard Award.
Here are all three segments for your enjoyment.
Continue reading "Rose's Melting Pot: India" »
Mar 25, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
This is a link to the presentation I did at NYU last year.
If you want to know just about everything I know about flour, be sure to check out this video filmed by Woody Wolston and edited and posted by Hector Wong. It will also give you a preview of my new most angelic of all angel food cakes coming up in the new book!
Continue reading "Experimental Cuisine Collective: Flour" »
Feb 11, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
This is the first of a series of videos that will be appearing on YouTube but for your convenience they will also be inbedded directly here on the blog. These first six segments were taped in 1988 just before the publication of The Cake Bible.
Great gratitude to Hector Wong for transferring all the electronic files and to Rachael Ashe of Hop Studios who will be embedding them in the blog. It is a dream come true to 'go live' and be able to share the many techniques of cake baking in the best possible medium.
Please note that this production was done on a shoe string budget and my friends and I burned the mid-night oil doing all the necessary prep. I didn't sleep for 2 days before the production (it doesn't really show as I was 20 years younger!) and you will see that the chiffon cake is slightly burned. But the techniques are valuable despite some minor imperfections in the finished product.
There will be many more videos to come including a wonderful PBS show I did for NJN on the Indian community of Edison, NJ, my unforgettable and much cherished appearance on the Charlie Rose show, a delightful segment on Sarah's Secrets with host and friend David Rosengarten, my recent PBS show Baking Magic, produced by Marjorie Poore, and the segments produced by Gold Medal/General Mills for my upcoming book Rose's Heavenly Cakes. I never knew, all those years, when saving the tapes from the shows that someday I would be able to share them on the internet! Talk about 'brave new world'!
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Feb 09, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Videos
Wednesday morning, a new series of YouTube Videos will start to appear both embedded on the blog or directly from YouTube. I will also post each segment to alert you that a new video has been added to YouTube and it will be linked to the posting. Alternatively, you can go to the left of the blog home page and just under the search box, under the "about me" listing at the bottom you will be able to click on Video of Rose on YouTube.
Several years later, I wrote about my experience making my first video, Cookies, Pies, and Cakes for the LA Times Syndicate and am reprinting it here:
A CAKE TO DIE FOR
Creative genius often comes along with the sort of temperament that engenders either love or hatred in others. Lee Kraft, a renowned photographer, leading jazz agent, record producer and a pioneer in the video “how to” market, was an exception in that he inspired both emotions at once. My first view of him was as a crass, insulting egomaniac who questioned my authority in my field. He ultimately became my greatest champion, calling regularly over the years with creative suggestions as to how my publisher could and should do more for my books. In the end, I saw his sardonic, sour side as a veneer which hid an exquisitely tender soul. Indeed, Kraft stormed against mediocrity and stupidity but when encountering something of quality and excellence, he would lay down his life for it.
When Kraft first approached me to do a video on baking, I conferred with colleagues who had done videos with him. To a person, they warned me that he shouted demoralizingly during production, so I agreed to work with him only on the condition that he would never shout. He was true to his word, technically speaking; rather than shouting, he whispered insults in a grim tone filled with venomous scorn. Not having slept for two days due to preparation requirements and stage-fright, and feeling my blood chill, I suggested that I might give a better performance with a little positive reinforcement. But Kraft, so high strung with the anxiety of a perfectionist persuaded of the fact that no one else could possible care as much as he, just couldn’t manage the requested encouragement. Others had told me that during their tapings he would swig directly from a bottle of Pepto Bismal. Since none of the pink liquid was in sight, I figured things weren’t going all that badly. Kraft’s attitude, however, really got to me and made me determined, above all, not to let him get the better of me. The more nasty he became, the more cheerful and smiling was my response. I never thought I could act but looking at that video, I’m proud to say that nothing betrays my desire to strangle him.
At the end of the 18 hour day, much to everyone’s relief, Kraft pronounced the immortal words: “it’s a wrap!” and strode out of the room with what seemed like disgust. The crew immediately formed a reception line and silently and with obvious respect shook my hand. One said: “You are the only one who didn’t scream or cry; I don’t know how you took it.” And I knew that my not breaking was their victory too.
Part of what had helped me was the little voice in me repeating over and over “never again.” And we never did make another video together, though we did become friends. What won me over were two things: that the video was of excellent quality, and that Kraft confessed that my chocolate cake had changed his entire attitude toward food. Prior to this experience he had looked at food as nothing but a prop, and had eaten only mass-produced cakes. He said that my cake, though three days old by the time he tasted it, was an epiphany for him. The way in which he talked about that cake revealed a passionate, open, appreciative side to the man where before I had seen only a hostile though talented tyrant. Again, out of character, he humbly begged me to make another cake for him. I was so moved before 2 weeks had passed I baked him my favorite yellow butter cake. To my surprise he was openly disappointed and not even tactfully grateful. Oh, he accepted the cake, but proclaimed that it was the chocolate one he had been craving. I told him that someday I would bake that one for him too.
Seven years later I got a call from Kraft from his hospital bed. I’m dying! he proclaimed in his usual right-to-the-point, demanding directness and I want that chocolate cake you promised. You can’t refuse a dying man’s last request!he continued laughingly. But I knew him well by then, so I lost no time making the cake and messengered it right up to the hospital. He never thanked me personally, but mutual friends who talked to him afterwards reported that he ate it and shared it with great enjoyment. And that was reward enough.
Lee Kraft died six months later. I know that it was only his ornery fighting spirit that kept him alive that much longer. He needed the time to ensure that his video business would be taken care of and that the videos would live on.
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