SWEET DOUGH – FESCH.TV

SWEET DOUGH & FESCH.TV:

I drove to the bustling town of Belle Plaine, Iowa (population: 2,500) and spent the day with my 85 year-old grandmother baking kolaches.

Growing up, whenever the entire extended family got together, she would always have fresh kolaches (or occasionally, in true Iowa-farm-family-fashion, she would pull a big batch out of the freezer). All 25+ uncles, aunts, and cousins would elbow their way to the countertop to fight for the coveted poppyseed kolache.

When I set out to make this video, I wanted to capture and preserve my grandma’s process of making this traditional Czech pastry from my childhood. However, as the day went on and she recounted stories of her own childhood, my grandmother’s more serious demeanor quickly fell away and I was able to capture her familiar sweet spirit I have always loved.