September 16, 2010

Baking Team Canada Competes Sep 25 & 26 in Las Vegas

Baking Team Canada takes the important first step to qualifying for the prestigious Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie by competing in the Louis LeSaffre Cup, a regional qualifier to be held at the International Baking Industry Exposition, September 25-29, 2010, in Las Vegas. The team will competes on the first day of the competition, facing the USA on September 25 and Mexico on September 26.

Alan Dumonceaux, Chair of NAIT's Baking Program, leads the team and is the Viennese Pastry (Viennoiserie) candidate. Bill Clay, of Bodhi's Bakery in Nanaimo, BC is the Artistic Showpiece candidate, and Marcus Mariathas is the Baguette and World Bread candidate. The team has been practicing since it was selected in April, 2010, including a weekend at NAIT this past June.

The team has its sights set on the Bakery World Cup in Paris in 2012, but must qualify at this event to make it to the next round. A Canadian team has never before qualified, but this team is confident the training and practice has prepared them for this challenge.

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About the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie

The Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie is an international artisan bread baking competition held every three to four years in Paris, France. Organized in 1992 by Christian Vabret, president of the Ecole Française de Boulangerie d’Aurillac, the Coupe du Monde honours the craft of artisan baking, promoting baking education and technical skill. It gathers artisan bakers from around the world to celebrate their profession, share knowledge of artisan baking techniques and traditional regional artisan breads, and raise awareness of the artisan baking profession as a highly skilled craft.

Also known as the Bakery World Cup, the Coupe du Monde takes place during the Europain trade show in Paris. The exhibition attracts more than 80,000 visitors. Inside the exhibition hall, 4 of the 12 teams compete daily in individual 12'x12' bakeries. Each team consists of three members representing the best artisan bakers from the 12 countries invited to compete. Teams are given eight hours to produce a specific number of baked goods for each of four categories: Baguette, Specialty and Ethnic Breads, Viennoiserie, Artistic Design, and Savory Selection. Team members must carefully choreograph and practice their routines in order to mix, shape and bake the 332 world-class baked goods in only eight hours. A committee of judges from each country represented then votes on the breads (judges must abstain from voting for their own country). A first, second and third place country is chosen based on the overall team effort.

The previous Coupe du Monde's top three teams are invited back to participate, while the remaining 9 teams must qualify through the 4 regional Louise LeSaffre Cups competitions.