Faculty and alumni heading to the World Cup of Baking

Four of Baking Team Canada’s six members come from NAIT; qualify at competition in Argentina

Celebrating the win (l to r) are Marcus Mariathas, Alan Dumonceaux and James Holehouse

NAIT will be well represented when Baking Team Canada competes next year in Paris, France at the prestigious World Cup of Baking, also known as the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie.

The six-member team secured a spot at the international competition after scoring the highest points at the Louis Lesaffre Cup earlier this month in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This was the qualifying event for North, Central and South America. This is the first time Canada has qualified for the World Cup of Baking.

Four of the team’s members are from NAIT, including manager and Viennese pastry competitor Alan Dumonceaux (chair of NAIT’s Baking program), technical advisor Clayton Folkers (NAIT Baking instructor), artistic showpiece competitor James Holehouse (graduate of the NAIT Baking apprentice program) and young hopeful Elien de Herdt (NAIT Baking graduate). The team is rounded out by coach Mario Fortin (Quebec) and baguette and world breads competitor Marcus Mariathas (Ontario). In addition to qualifying in Argentina, the award for top young hopeful baker went to de Herdt.

Established in 1992, the World Cup of Baking is a competition held every three to four years. The competing teams consist of three bakers. These teams compete against each other.

NOTE TO MEDIA: NAIT members of Baking Team Canada are available for interviews.

QUICK FACTS
• NAIT’s baking program focuses on the art and science of bread, cake and pastry making as well as the many as¬pects of cake decorating.
• 92% of Baking graduates are employed within one year of leaving NAIT.
• Nine teams competed at the Louis Lesaffre Cup.
• The World Cup of Baking will be held Feb. 5-9 in Paris, France, in conjunction with Europain, an international bakery, patisserie and catering exhibition. Twelve teams will compete.

QUOTES
Alan Dumonceaux, chair of NAIT’s Baking program and manager of Baking Team Canada
“Canada has tried four times to qualify for the World Cup of Baking. This time we succeeded. We’re part of history for Canadian baking. For our students at NAIT, this is significant. All the skills we developed in training for this competition will be transferred back into our teaching and passed along directly to our students.”

LEARN MORE
NAIT Baking program

About NAIT
The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) is a leading Canadian polytechnic, delivering education in science, technology and the environment; business; health and trades. With more than 60,000 credit and non-credit students and a 98 per cent employer satisfaction rate, NAIT grads are essential to Alberta’s prosperity. Known for hands-on, technology-based learning, NAIT engages with business and industry in applied research and innovation and provides corporate training around the world. Recognized as one of Alberta’s top employers, NAIT provides outstanding returns on investment for its graduates, partners, the provincial government and the people of Alberta.

Media inquiries
Frank Landry
NAIT Media Relations
P 780.471.8450 C 780.916.8307 E flandry@nait.ca

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