Since 2003, De Jong has baked a cake for a special person about three hundred times. For the past twenty years, baking has been about living with a depressed father or autistic mother. But also about living in a foster family or asylum seekers’ center and about growing up with many brothers and sisters or with identical twins.
Van Gelder is not only the creator of the children’s program, she is also the producer and director. “I wanted to create a place that every child dreams of, a kind of sugar paradise. But it also had to be a nice, safe place where you can share a personal story as a child. even if it has done something ugly or regrets something.”
Children forget the environment through tinkering and kneading
The conversations De Jong has with the children are very candid and are almost always about intense subjects. It is therefore difficult for the viewer at home to imagine that there are four or five crew members around it. “It can be overwhelming for those children,” says Van Gelder, who is still involved in the program. “But as soon as they start tinkering and kneading, they are no longer concerned with the environment.”
A lot precedes the recording of the conversations. “First there is a few contacts with the parents of the children, so that the intention of the program is clear. Before the recordings start, it is already known what the conversation will be about. The parents must give permission for this,” explains From Gelderland. The parents must also agree that they are not present at the recordings. “A child must be able to talk openly and freely. That doesn’t work if the parents are watching.”
‘Tarts of Abel is not about the baker, but about the child’
When Van Gelder was looking for a presenter for the program twenty years ago, she spoke to various bakers and a chocolatier. “Pies of Abel It’s not about the baker, it’s about the child. But of course you want a presenter with personality. When I spoke to Siemon, I immediately knew he was the right person. He was Baker Abel. He had a certain flair and he made the craziest and wildest cakes.” De Jong had his own pastry shop in Amsterdam at the time.
The program is still very popular with viewers. How does Van Gelder explain the success of Pies of Abel? “That is certainly thanks to Siemon, who is always completely himself. But the children are just as important,” says the brain behind the program. “The children must be able to carry an entire episode. That is why every season we look for participants who can reflect and express themselves well. Not every child is a good storyteller.”
Children report themselves, but are also approached
Many of the children sign up for the program themselves. According to Van Gelder, these are children from all walks of life. “But they don’t always have a good story. That’s why the editors actively look for participants. We find them at the schools we work with, but we also search through sports associations and religious communities throughout the country.”
Van Gelder does not want to choose a favorite episode. “Some have made me laugh, others have made me cry. What I find impressive is that there have been children who have used the program to tell classmates about a certain issue in their lives. For example, there was an episode of a child with a father in prison and one about a father who took his own life. Those episodes were shown in the class of the participating children, after which the teacher talked about them with the children.”
Van Gelder does not want to say too much about the future of the popular youth program. “It’s too early for that.” The TV producer and director did say that the VPRO is open to continuing the program. “But it is the NPO that ultimately decides on that.” In any case, several interested parties have already reported to Van Gelder as the new Bakker Abel.