My Life From Scratch

Mar 04, 2013 Jim Gullo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've been reading baking memoirs lately, since I've been madly fantasizing about taking my present wild infatuation with home baking and turning pro. Could I really start a cake bakery in my town? Buy a catering truck and go mobile? Become a doughnut king? The first book I tried, entitled "The (Faux) Pastry Chef," was an utter dud, written by a woman who had some industrial baking jobs and felt the need to complain about every single place she ever worked, with mesmerizing details of her workers...more

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Sep 10, 2010 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: food-essays-memoirs, 2010-reads, best-of-2010, non-fiction

Note: If you are looking for this book in paperback, they changed the title. It's now called "My Life from Scratch." I've never seen that before, not sure why....

Gesine takes the reader through the day of a baker, starting at 3 a.m. and all the goings on during this time. Each essay ends with a recipe that she talks about making in the chapter, clearly written for even the novice baker. I found this book to actually be a love letter to her mother and the city of Montpelier, Vermont. A self descr...more Note: If you are looking for this book in paperback, they changed the title. It's now called "My Life from Scratch." I've never seen that before, not sure why....

Gesine takes the reader through the day of a baker, starting at 3 a.m. and all the goings on during this time. Each essay ends with a recipe that she talks about making in the chapter, clearly written for even the novice baker. I found this book to actually be a love letter to her mother and the city of Montpelier, Vermont. A self described "Mama's girl," Gesine fondly speaks of her mother, Helga, who passed away several years ago from colon cancer. A German-vegan-marathon running-opera singer, Helga also was a baker, and Gesine feels closest to her when she is baking and running. This was very touching; it was apparent they shared a special bond that was solidified over flour, butter, and sugar. At 3 p.m., they would share a sweet and coffee. Montpelier, Vermont (where I grew up) is a quirky, little city and she lovingly describes the characters who become regulars and friends.

Her sharp-witted personality shines in this, ignoring people mispronounce her name (it's GAY-zeen-a, not JAY-zeen), and when customers give suggestions, like she should start making vegan cookies (she thinks about taking her clog off and throwing it at his head!) She admits her employees would keep her in the back baking, as she wasn't a people person.

(A gossip magazine aside, Gesine is actress Sandra Bullock's sister, and there is a chapter devoted to the calamity surrounding making her wedding cake. That was a bummer, since we now know the outcome of that union, but "Sandy," as she calls her seems quite sweet, and spent the first week the bakery opened helping her sister in the shop, much to the excitement of Montpelier.)

This isn't to say this book is not without its flaws. First off, each essay is written as a stand alone, which also makes for a lot of repetition. As far as I know, these are never before published essays, so I shake my head at her editor as to why certain people and scenes need to be introduced yet again. I also thought the ending was abrupt. First she is at the middle school during career day, next thing she is looking at her bakery and thinking about her next step in life. She did close her bakery in Montpelier, although I believe she has a new one in the southern part of the state. Every chapter felt like it had a natural ending; the last one felt like someone told her to hurry up and finish.

Gesine doesn't sugar-coat (pun intended) what it takes to run a bakery. It is hard work, very long hours. When you start to become successful, that means more employees, hence the loss of whatever extra income you would make. But for this cook, who isn't a baker, it was a fun look at a day in the life of a small town shop where friends and family can share a little sweet. I went to her bakery just twice before it closed, both times late Saturday afternoon, and only grabbed a cup of coffee. After reading about all her delicious treats, I'm sorry I didn't splurge a little! (less)

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Jan 15, 2011 Cheryl rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I was given this book the first thing I asked the person who gave it to me was, “Why’d you get me a book about baking? I’m a vegan.” And I was told it was because from what she’d seen, the author loved baking; people, not so much, just like me.

I really started liking the book right out of the gate, with the mention of the nightmare inducing book Struwwelpeter, which my sister and I were also subjected to (by our non-German family) when we were kids. Bullock-Prado does a nice job of weaving...more When I was given this book the first thing I asked the person who gave it to me was, “Why’d you get me a book about baking? I’m a vegan.” And I was told it was because from what she’d seen, the author loved baking; people, not so much, just like me.

I really started liking the book right out of the gate, with the mention of the nightmare inducing book Struwwelpeter, which my sister and I were also subjected to (by our non-German family) when we were kids. Bullock-Prado does a nice job of weaving in stories of her youth spent in Germany and the U.S., of how Hollywood seemed to suck the will to live out of her and how she found solace and sanity in baking, finally leaving California to open a bakery in Vermont. She discusses the ins and outs of running a bakery; sprinkled throughout we meet some of the cast of characters she’s come to know on the east coast. She even includes recipes which, according to her, are faithful to the ones she uses. For the most part I liked her snarky, better-with-flour-than-people personality (Though if you’re going to complain endlessly about Americans mispronouncing your German name, put the correct pronunciation in the beginning of the book!). After all of that, though, I do agree with at least one other reviewer who was a bit surprised at how the book ended; it definitely left me saying, “Wait, what?”

Why, then, did the book get two stars? She chose to bash vegans, which I’m used to. However, she had the…nerve to say she had nothing but love for vegans then proceeded to rant against us and describe how her mother, who supposedly lived much of her life as a dedicated vegan, went on an epic, animal product filled bender when she was diagnosed with colon cancer because she was angry that she’d been denying herself for so many years. It seemed like she thought describing it was getting back at us vegans. All that was missing was a “So there!” First, no ethical vegan is denying himself or herself anything. Second, I do feel for Bullock-Prado and what she went through with her mother (my aunt died in 2009 three weeks after she found out she had a tumor and she collected owls, which come up a lot because the it’s the store’s logo, so this book wasn’t an easy read at times), but I think she mistakenly lays blame and takes her anger about her mother’s death out on vegans. Despite the rant, and the fact that it fell between griping about sexual deviants and the fame hunters that come into her store (nothing but love, uh-huh), I decided to grumble every five pages but keep reading. Then, not 20 pages later, she says she gets offended when someone requests something vegan (though she later talks about a customer’s numerous allergies and doesn’t mind making a nut, dairy and gluten free cake for him) and, for the second time, mentions whipping her clog at a vegan’s head (With love, I’m sure. Bet she’d be thrilled to know I plan on veganizing at least one of her recipes.)

I’m quite sure this won’t bother too many people, and it would’ve been a three and a half star rating for me otherwise.
(less)

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Feb 20, 2010 Lindsey rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The alleged charm of this book was lost on me. The lauded opening, "I saw the devil at age three and he gave me chocolate. It changed my life forever," is followed by the clunker, "And in the end it was the example of unlikely angels and the power of confections that led me on a sweet path to happiness and grace in my adult life," to close out the first chapter. Shudder. That's oddly saccharine for a book you named "Master Baker" with bawdy intent.

Despite the structure of each chapter being an...more

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Dec 01, 2009 Tad rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Those who like culinary memoirs

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I purchased it to get the Golden Eggs recipe which I had misplaced after baking them the first time. I was inspired to make them based on a short video I watched of Gesine doing a demo of the Eggs. Concerning the book itself, there are times when I thought “she really doesn't like people”. I can relate to that because there are times when people are just completely unlikable. Her stories are mostly interesting and I appreciate how her chapters lead to a recipe that...more

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Nov 11, 2009 Amy Meyer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone especially bakers

Recommended to Amy by: Review copy

Title: Confections of a Closet Master Baker
Author: Gesine Bullock-Prado
ISBN: 978-0-7679-3268-4
Pages: 223
Release Date: September 2009
Publisher: Broadway Books
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Publisher: As head of her celebrity sister’s production company, Gesine Bullock-Prado had a closet full of designer clothes and the ear of all the influential studio heads, but she was miserable. The only solace she found was in her secret hobby: baking. With every sugary, buttery confection to emerge from he...more

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Nov 01, 2009 Suzanne (Chick with Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Gesine Bullock-Prado gave up the designer clothes, the Red Carpet walks and life as a Hollywood schmoozer (almost all of which she hated) for her true calling- Baking! Gesine comes out of the closet in her book Confections of a Closet Master Baker to share with us her journey from unhappy Hollywood insider to life as a baker in Vermont and it is simply delicious!

The writing, the recipes, and Gesine Bullock-Prado's wry sense of humor is all delectable! Chapters are arranged by hours, as we weave...more

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Oct 10, 2009 Catherine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Bakers and anyone wanting to open their own bakery

Gesine Bullock-Prado takes the reader on her journey from unhappy production company executive in her sister Sandra's company to opening her own bakery in Vermont.

Having worked in Hollywood for most of my life, I could totally relate to her experience with the unique personalities and frustrating process involved in working in that industry.

She details the process of opening her bakery from start to finish, including many colorful characters, employees and customers, as well as her personal str...more

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Sep 07, 2009 Tattered Cover Book Store added it · review of another edition

Shelves: jackie-recommends, staff-recommends

Jackie says:

This book had me at it's very short but very memorable first paragraph: "I saw the devil at the age of three and he gave me chocolate. It changed my life forever."

Gesine (pronounced geh see neh--don't mess it up because it makes her crazy when you do) had a glamourous Hollywood life running a production company with her sister Sandra Bullock. Red carpets, "doing" lunch, meetings and schmoozing made up her daily life. And she was miserable. To make herself feel better, she turned to...more Jackie says:

This book had me at it's very short but very memorable first paragraph: "I saw the devil at the age of three and he gave me chocolate. It changed my life forever."

Gesine (pronounced geh see neh--don't mess it up because it makes her crazy when you do) had a glamourous Hollywood life running a production company with her sister Sandra Bullock. Red carpets, "doing" lunch, meetings and schmoozing made up her daily life. And she was miserable. To make herself feel better, she turned to an old love, pastries. Specifically, making, even inventing, them. When, in a meeting, she referred to casting a movie as being like finding the right spices for an apple pie, she knew it was time to get out.

She and her husband Rick Prado (a movie illustrator and barista extraordinaire) fell in love with Vermont and decided to make it their home. They found an old general store, gutted it and it became
"Gesine's". It opened on Aug 4, 2004 to lines longer than anyone could have imagined thanks to a casual mention of the fabulous French macaroons Gesine makes (which are almond, not coconut) in an interview in In Style magazine. Well, that and the fact that Sandy manned the register that first day. Gesine stayed in the back, being a self proclaimed "socially retarded misanthrope", and followed her passion for baking. They might have come the first time to see a movie star. They kept coming back because Gesine is a magician with flour and sugar and chocolate.

Her passion comes through in her book as well. There are fantastic recipes in it, but it's the reasons and rememeberances, the stories and the history that really make this book something special. Gesine is rather blunt at times, but I actually admired her for her honesty and her wit. This is a book about the importance of baking, the love and
intention that goes into it all. It's also about the importance of sitting down with people, especially people you love, and enjoying fine things with one another in the middle of our too hectic lives. It's both a fantastic read and a fantastic cookbook--I highly recommend this book!(less)

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Aug 16, 2009 Jackie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: foodies of all kinds

Shelves: cooking-crafting, nonfiction, pleasure-reading, work-review-related-reading, 5-star

This book had me at it's very short but very memorable first paragraph: "I saw the devil at the age of three and he gave me chocolate. It changed my life forever."

Gesine (pronounced geh see neh--don't mess it up because it makes her crazy when you do) had a glamourous Hollywood life running a production company with her sister Sandra Bullock. Red carpets, "doing" lunch, meetings and schmoozing made up her daily life. And she was miserable. To make herself feel better, she turned to an old love,...more This book had me at it's very short but very memorable first paragraph: "I saw the devil at the age of three and he gave me chocolate. It changed my life forever."

Gesine (pronounced geh see neh--don't mess it up because it makes her crazy when you do) had a glamourous Hollywood life running a production company with her sister Sandra Bullock. Red carpets, "doing" lunch, meetings and schmoozing made up her daily life. And she was miserable. To make herself feel better, she turned to an old love, pastries. Specifically, making, even inventing, them. When, in a meeting, she referred to casting a movie as being like finding the right spices for an apple pie, she knew it was time to get out.

She and her husband Rick Prado (a movie illustrator and barista extraordinaire) fell in love with Vermont and decided to make it their home. They found an old general store, gutted it and it became
"Gesine's". It opened on Aug 4, 2004 to lines longer than anyone could have imagined thanks to a casual mention of the fabulous French macaroons Gesine makes (which are almond, not coconut) in an interview in In Style magazine. Well, that and the fact that Sandy manned the register that first day. Gesine stayed in the back, being a self proclaimed "socially retarded misanthrope", and followed her passion for baking. They might have come the first time to see a movie star. They kept coming back because Gesine is a magician with flour and sugar and chocolate.

Her passion comes through in her book as well. There are fantastic recipes in it, but it's the reasons and rememeberances, the stories and the history that really make this book something special. Gesine is rather blunt at times, but I actually admired her for her honesty and her wit. This is a book about the importance of baking, the love and
intention that goes into it all. It's also about the importance of sitting down with people, especially people you love, and enjoying fine things with one another in the middle of our too hectic lives. It's both a fantastic read and a fantastic cookbook--I highly recommend this book!
(less)

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Sep 24, 2012 Mai rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-books, food-books, library, sisters, nonfiction

Confession: I read this book by accident.

Some time ago, I saw Life From Scratch on Amazon and added it to my to-read list. The cover is gorgeous:

A few weeks ago, I searched some titles from my to-read list in the Brooklyn Public Library's electronic books catalog, and put a few on reserve. Obviously, what came up when I typed in "Life from Scratch" was this book, and I didn't notice the minor title difference.

Interestingly, after I realized my mistake, I discovered that this book was published...more Confession: I read this book by accident.

Some time ago, I saw Life From Scratch on Amazon and added it to my to-read list. The cover is gorgeous:

A few weeks ago, I searched some titles from my to-read list in the Brooklyn Public Library's electronic books catalog, and put a few on reserve. Obviously, what came up when I typed in "Life from Scratch" was this book, and I didn't notice the minor title difference.

Interestingly, after I realized my mistake, I discovered that this book was published in hardcover in 2009 as Confections of a Closet Master Baker: One Woman's Sweet Journey from Unhappy Hollywood Executive to Contented Country Baker; they changed the title to My Life from Scratch for the 2010 paperback release (which happened about a month before the release of Life from Scratch). Can anyone in the publishing world speak to whether completely changing a title between releases is more common that I realize? Would they have known that a very similarly titled book was due to come out a month later?

For what it's worth, I think "Confections" as a play on "Confessions" in the original title is clever, but "Closet Master Baker" is a weird phrase that probably should have been avoided in the first place. If I were the publisher, I would have gone with "Confections of a Master Baker" and left it at that. Unless we think "Master Baker" is something like "Master Debater" and prone to elicit snickers from 12-year-old boys? Relatedly, who else did a spit-take when Jill Biden said, “I’ve heard the urgency in [Joe Biden's] voice when he comes ... and talks about the people he’s met”?

In any case, My Life from Scratch is a quick and easy read about a woman who gave up the Hollywood rat race to open a bakery in Vermont because she loves making sweets so much. If this book were a pastry, it'd be a meringue: airy and sweet, but slightly dull and not terribly filling. I did learn three things, however: (1) Originally, macaroons were coconut-free; (2) the author's name, Gesine, is pronounced Geh-see-neh, with a hard "g", (she really hates when it's mispronounced); and (3) Sandra Bullock is her sister. Yes, really.(less)

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Jul 13, 2009 Turi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: advance-reader, foodie

This book wasn't what I expected.

I was expecting a self-absorbed, boutique-ey book about someone who fancied themselves a baker.

Instead I was plunged into Gesine Bullock-Prado's memoir of her exodus from the shallow Hollywood world she had found herself in, to a self-created temple of baking delight in Montpelier, Vermont.

This is DEEP baking. Her grasp of why baking matters, what in means to the baker and the consumer, is breathtaking. There is sadness, joy, excitement, boredom,and life here....more

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Jul 10, 2012 Betsy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, foodie, memoir, wishlist, small-town-love

This is was the most beautifully written "foodie" book I've read. When I picked it up, I actually didn't realize it was written by Sandra Bullock's sister! I provided a little glimpse into the actresses's life as well.

The memoir is told throughout the course of the day, hour by hour, from waking up at 4:30am to closing at 6pm. The chapters are filled with rich stories of food, family and life. I especially loved hearing Gesine tell about her German mother and her grandmother and the traditions i...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've seen a few reviewers dog this book because they think the author is riding on her sister's fame. I completely disagree. I think she's led an interesting life in general, and having a sister in Hollywood isn't part of herself she can omit. I happen to love baking and confection to begin with, and I enjoy reading about others who have similar passions. I'm facinated with the theme that having early familial connections with food creates those passions. Every baker/pastry chef/foodie I know ta...more

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Oct 05, 2009 Alicia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love memoirs, and memoirs with yummy baking recipes - all the better. This is also reflective and interesting. And the story is intriguing - an unhappy Hollywood executive who found happiness as a lowly pastry chef. It is a bit edgy in places (mostly language), but it's so honest at the same time. And how could I not love this lovely piece:

"I had always been under the general impression that a child both home schooled and religious is dangerous, at the very least, and certainly humorless and e...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Tara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, baking-cooking

This is a wonderful little book which I savoured over two weeks (pun intended!). Gesine, the author has a passion for baking and using quality ingredients which is felt throughout the book. Each chapter of the book is an hour in the day of a professional baker, starting at 4.00am when she stumbles out of bed. At the end of each chapter she includes a wonderful recipe. The memoir is part reminising about her childhood in Germany, her German Opera singing, vegetarian, marathon running mother and h...more

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Apr 16, 2011 Zarina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, review-books

Author Gesine Bullock-Prado writes in a humorous way about her former Hollywood life and how she eventually finds her true calling in the one occupation she always took solace in when life became too stressful: baking.

To get the big question out of the way first, yes the author is the younger sister of actress Sandra Bullock. But those who start reading the book expecting to find Bullock's dirty little secrets on display will be thoroughly disappointed. Instead "Sandy" is mentioned in regularit...more

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Oct 04, 2009 Jen B rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library, 2009

Unhappy with her career as a Hollywood film exec, Gesine Bullock-Prado packed her bags and moved to Vermont, trading in her Prada pumps and designer clothes for clogs and grubby t-shirts. Instead of rubbing elbows with Hollywood A-listers (like her big sis, Sandra Bullock), she now spends her days covered in flour, creating a breathtaking array of cakes, pies, and other butter- and sugar-filled confections that would make most Hollywood starlets cringe in horror (Butter! Fat!) And she's happy......more

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Jun 15, 2010 Marjorie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One chapter in and already a favorite.....I LOVE this book!

The author is honest and speaks in a forthright manner that I really adore. In other words - no BS! Dropping an occasional F-bomb always warms the cockles of my heart too.

Loved it.

Done and done. Could. Not. Put.thebookdown. Seriously. And I have a child and a life, etc. This book is such a lovely work of art to read. As a person who has dreamed of being an owner of a pastry/bakery, I was able to live vicariously through and be inspired...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Traci Haley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, non-fiction

To be honest, Gesine Bullock-Prado is kind of unlikable. She's a little abrupt and, probably in part due to her upbringing, a bit of a snob. But I do have one thing in common with her -- a passion for baking. In that element, I could relate to her writing. While I skimmed through the chapters dealing with her musings about her mom and her childhood in Germany, I loved reading about the day-to-day life at the bakery. Her words made my stomach growl as I wished I had some of her macarons or sticky...more

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Oct 28, 2009 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is Gesine Bullock-Prado's memoir of leaving the rat race in Hollywood to open a bakery in Vermont. It comes complete with the usual funny mishaps and quirky characters. I think what I liked best about this book is Gesine herself. Far from the fat, jolly baker, she is impatient, caustic and sometimes not too sure she actually likes people all that much. What she does like is baking. She lives and breathes it, obsessing over the perfect cherry pie or macaroon. Opening a bakery she learns she...more

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Sep 23, 2010 Marcia Beck rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Quick read - written by Sandra Bullock's sister - her story of why she left Hollywood life for a more down to earth world in Vermont-opened a bakery and started loving her life. Her background is interesting with or without her famous sister. The book includes some recipes and will make you envy/admire her talent and decision to go for the road less traveled. She does seem to have a somewhat understandable anger toward people that have an interest in her only to get to her sister-yet how can you...more

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Oct 06, 2010 Happyreader rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bio-and-memoir, food-and-drink

For someone so grumpy, she wrote a very bake-cute book. A very quick read. Like her, love the German tradition of 3:00 afternoon tea and cake and love my German mother’s plum cake. Unlike her, my sister’s not a movie star and I fortunately didn’t have to bake her wedding cake (that wedding cake story was like a marriage oracle). She makes you wish you could bake and grateful you don’t have to withstand the cruelty of Hollywood dealmaking (cruelest story was the guy whose project she made happen...more

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Oct 20, 2009 Christopher Roberts rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

All these reviews, perhaps understandably, focus on the publisher's summary: young woman throws off the glamorous chains of Hollywood to open a New England bakery. The real story of the book, however, is a good bit darker: a (self-confessed) difficult person copes with her mother's illness and death through a deep and transformative absorption with baking. For me, everything to do with the glamour bits in the book were a snooze (confession: I'm in the movie biz, so maybe I'm a bit numb to those...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Cat Chiappa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a really fun book for me, but I didn't even know it would be when I bought it. I purchased this book as part of Borders fire sale and it looked like a fun cooking memoir, but at the time I didn't take note of the author's name. However, shortly after I began reading it, I realized it was by Gesine Bullock, Sandra Bullock's sister and the same woman who opened a bakery near the apartment where my mom lives in Montpelier. I have been in that bakery. As a result I found pleasure in this bo...more

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Dec 20, 2012 Brad Lucht rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nice read. The author was working in Hollywood for her sister, basically she was living a miserable life having to interact with so many phony and manipulative people. The only thing that made her happy was baking for friends and family. Eventually she left that life and moved to a small town in Vermont to open her own bakery.

I like the way the story was told. There are actually parallel stories being told, one of her life and one of her day at the bakery. So it starts with her waking up early i...more

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Jul 12, 2010 Joanie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: from-the-library, memoir

5 stars might be a little much but I really, really enjoyed this. I read it in a weekend-no small feat considering it was my son's 4th birthday.

I took this book out from the library not realizing it was written by Sandra Bullock's sister. I'm not so dim that I couldn't have put two and two together-there was a "New Book" sticker over the top where the author's name was written and I didn't really look much closer until I finally started to read it.

I don't know that I would have picked this up a...more 5 stars might be a little much but I really, really enjoyed this. I read it in a weekend-no small feat considering it was my son's 4th birthday.

I took this book out from the library not realizing it was written by Sandra Bullock's sister. I'm not so dim that I couldn't have put two and two together-there was a "New Book" sticker over the top where the author's name was written and I didn't really look much closer until I finally started to read it.

I don't know that I would have picked this up as readily if I knew it was by Bullock's sister so I guess I'm glad I didn't find that out until later. Not that I don't like Sandra Bullock, I do, but I don't know that I would have chosen to intentionally read something written by her sister, especially in light of all the media attention the poor woman has been getting right now. I'm glad I didn't pass this one up.

Bullock-Prado had been living in Hollywood working for her sister's production company and baking for friends on the side. She eventually tires of the phoniness and decides she wants to spend all her time baking so she and her husband move to Vermont and open a bakery. Each chapter is about a different time of day in the bakery and it items that are baked at that time. She weaves in stories about her past life in Hollywood, her life in Vermont, her customers, and her family, especially her mother. She talks about the traditions and customs from their life in Germany and the desserts her mother and grandmother would make on holidays and special occasions. Bullock-Prado talks about baking as an expression of love and a way to honor her mother's memory. Each chapter ends with a recipe.

I almost feel like the book jacket didn't do this one justice. The way it was described I was expecting lots of lame stories about Hollywood with stuff about baking thrown in there as an afterthought. I was pleasantly surprised by how little there was about Hollywood-her life in the bakery is really the central focus. Bullock-Prado writes with warmth and affection for her family and the importance of tradition. Many stories are surprisingly moving-I feel like a got a lot more than I was expecting in this one.(less)

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Oct 06, 2009 Rachel Rogers rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Despite the word memoir in the title, I expected this to be a twist on so many novels on the market: powerful woman makes grievous error/realizes she hates her career and throws in the towel to do something homey and realizes it's what she should have done all along. Despite the reality of that, it was a fun, delightful, yummy read. She has a very realistic way of describing her life and its foibles, along with the personalities of her customers and employees. As someone who loves baking and has...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Koko rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm going to go ahead and give this book five stars. It's the best book I've read in a long time. Gesine Bullock Prado is the lesser known sister of Sandra Bullock. She gave up showbiz life in L.A. to pursue her dream of baking. She and her husband piled everything into their car and road tripped to Vermont to open a bakery in a sleepy little town. The best thing about this book is the author's voice. She is brilliant, grouchy, anti-social, unapologetic and hilarious. Even if you don't bake you...more

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Jul 16, 2010 Evanston Public Library added it · review of another edition

How often does one hear of a "reverse" Hollywood success story? That's what intrigued me when I saw Gesine Bullock-Prado's Confections of a Closet Master Baker. After years of working as a producer, hustling deals at power lunches for her older sister Sandra, Gesine decided to swap the pressure and glamour for a quieter life in Vermont turning out, of all things, gourmet pastries. It's a very personal account enhanced by her husband's sketches and her remembrances of a seemingly charmed European...more

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title link	preview: My Life From Scratch
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13298798-my-life-from-scratch?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1329468633l/13298798.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13298798-my-life-from-scratch?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]My Life From Scratch by Gesine Bullock-Prado[/url]

My Life From Scratch

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Books by Gesine Bullock-Prado

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