“Stars for dessert”
The true story of a chef pastry chef
Riadh Belaiiche as Yazid in a scene from the film “Stars for Dessert”. photo
© Alessandra Clemenza/24 Images/dpa
“Stars for Dessert” is about a boy who dreams of becoming the best pastry chef. A well-known influencer plays the main role.
Yazid has had a dream since he was a child. He wants to bake and become a great pastry chef. His difficult situation also prevents him from doing so Youth between foster parents and homes are not. He determinedly tackles the crazy project of working for the greatest pâtissiers in France – and becoming the best.
“Stars for Dessert” is a dramatic social comedy based on the true life story of Yazid Ichemrahen, who became the “World Ice Cream Dessert Champion” in 2014. The French director Sébastien Tulard stages the classic story of the rise of a gifted outsider. It begins with Yazid stealing eggs and flour from the shelves as a child to bake a cake.
Today the 32-year-old runs pâtisseries in Avignon, Greece, Switzerland and Qatar. He published his incredible life story in the autobiographical novel “Un rêve d’enfant étoilé”.
Tulard describes his career on several timelines. While Yazid learns his craft in the kitchens of high-end restaurants with their demands and harassment, his childhood and youth in Épernay, around 140 kilometers northeast of Paris, are recounted in flashbacks: the difficult relationship with his alcohol-dependent mother, the hard years in the home, where he repeatedly offended. The only bright spots were his foster parents Simone and Pascal.
Tulard brought an influencer in front of the camera for his first feature film with Riadh Belaïche as Yazid. For the 25-year-old, known on social networks with millions of followers under the pseudonym Just Riadh, it is the first title role in a feature film. To do this, he trained with recognized pastry chefs in order to be able to reproduce the gestures of professionals with the necessary credibility.
“Stars for Dessert” is an optimistic biopic garnished with wonderful images that tells a profound story in a light-hearted tone, without falling into comedy at all costs.
“Stars for Dessert”, France 2023, 110 min., FSK ages 12 and up, by Sébastien Tulard, with Riadh Belaïche, Loubna Abidar, Pascal Légitimus