Christine Ferber facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christine Ferber
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Christine Ferber in 2017
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| Born | 11 May 1960 |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Pastry chef and chocolatier |
| Years active | 1978 onward |
| Known for | Internationally acclaimed jams and chocolate |
Christine Ferber, born on May 11, 1960, is a famous French pastry chef and chocolatier. She is known around the world for her delicious jams and chocolates. Christine co-owns a special shop called La Maison Ferber in a village called Niedermorschwihr in the Alsace region of France. She sells more than 200,000 jars of jam every year!
Contents
About Christine Ferber
Early Life and Family Business
Christine Ferber was born in Colmar, France. This is a historic town not far from her village, Niedermorschwihr. Her family has a long history of making pastries. Her great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were all pastry chefs.
In 1959, Christine's father, Maurice, opened their family shop, La Maison Ferber. It was in a very old French building from the 1600s. Christine can speak French, Alsatian, German, and English.
Christine's Amazing Career
Learning to Be a Chef
When Christine was 15, she moved to Brussels to learn how to be a confectioner and chocolatier. This was a three-year training program. After that, she spent a year in Paris. There, she studied with a very famous French pastry chef named Lucien Peltier. He was known for his creative ideas in the 1980s.
Starting Her Own Jam Business
In 1979, Christine won the French Cup for pastry chefs. She moved back to Alsace in 1980 and started her own workshop. At first, she began making jams. She sold them in her parents' shop, even though her mother was not sure about it at first.
Awards and Recognition
In 1998, Christine Ferber was named "Patissier of the Year" by a guide called Guide Champérard. In 2005, she created a cookbook called Alice's Little Kitchen in Wonderland. This book was inspired by the famous story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
After her father passed away in 2011, Christine took over La Maison Ferber with her brother Bruno and sister Betty. In 2015 and 2016, she had a bigger workshop and storage area built. This new building even won an architecture award in 2018 for being a "most productive place."
The Jam Fairy
Christine Ferber makes over 200 different kinds of jam! She creates traditional flavors, local ones, and even some very unique combinations. For example, she makes jam with celery and pineapple mixed with rosemary. Besides jams, she also bakes delicious pies, stollens, gingerbreads, and kougelhopfs.
About 35% of her business comes from jams, and another 35% comes from her pastries. People often call Christine the Jam Fairy. In Alsace, locals sometimes call her Reine Christine, which means "Queen Christine." Around the world, she is known as the Queen of Jam.
Christine sells 200,000 jars of jam every year to people all over the world. Her jams are sold in countries like Spain, Germany, Japan, and Singapore. In Tokyo, her jam jars are even wrapped in special red cloth with a white bow.
Famous Fans
Many famous chefs love Christine's jams. Another well-known French pastry chef, Pierre Hermé, has said that Christine Ferber "sells the best jams in the world." He even sells her jams in his own shop in Paris!
Her jams are also bought by top chefs like Alain Ducasse and served in fancy restaurants and hotels. These include the three-Michelin star La Maison Troisgros restaurant, Hôtel de Crillon, Four Seasons Hotel George V, and The Connaught in London.
Teaching and Other Stories
Christine Ferber has also taught her skills in France, Italy, Japan, and the United States. She has taught at the French Pastry School in Chicago.
In 2013, a British newspaper reported that actor Brad Pitt was a big fan of her jams and had flown to Alsace to meet her. However, Christine herself said she had never seen him in her shop. In 2020, Christine welcomed Luxembourgish chef Léa Linster to La Maison Ferber.
Awards and Honors
In January 2018, Christine Ferber received a very special award. She was made a Chevalier (which means Knight) of the Legion of Honour. This is one of the highest awards in France.
Christine's Books
Christine Ferber has written several cookbooks sharing her recipes and tips:
- Ferber, Christine, Mes aigres-doux : Terrines et pâtés, Payot, 1999. ISBN: 2228892408
- Ferber, Christine, Mes Confitures: The Jams and Jellies of Christine Ferber, Michigan State University Press, 2002. ISBN: 0870136291
- Ferber, Christine, Ma cuisine des fruits, Marabout, 2003. ISBN: 2501039106
- Ferber, Christine, Mes Tartes: The Sweet and Savory Tarts of Christine Ferber, Michigan State University Press, 2003. ISBN: 0870136887
- Ferber, Christine; Model, Philippe; Winkelmann, Bernhard, La petite Cuisine d'Alice au pays des merveilles (Alice's Little Kitchen in Wonderland), Chêne Jeunesse, 2005. ISBN: 2842777093
- Ferber, Christine, Tischlein deck dich!, Gerstenberg Verlag, 2008. ISBN: 3836929856
- Ferber, Christine, Le Larousse des confitures : gelées, compotes, chutneys avec les conseils techniques et 40 recettes inédites de Christine Ferber, Larousse, Paris 2009. ISBN: 978-2-03-584975-5
- Ferber, Christine, Leçons de confitures, Chêne, 2009. ISBN: 2842778006
- Ferber, Christine; Bernhard, Winkelmann (photos), Die Marmeladen-Bibel, Christian, Munich 2010. ISBN: 9783884729762
