Cleveland bakery to represent US in ‘Bread Olympics’ in France | Cleveland

A bakery in Ohio was chosen to continue its own world renown trail by representing the United States at the “Olympic Bread Games”, a prestigious international cooking competition.

The world’s world biennial event, which has been held in France, brings together elite bakers from around the world to participate in traditional breads, Viannois and developed artistic creations.

Of the hundreds of thousands of bakeries in the United States, on the rise of craft breads, based in Cleveland Heights, in Ohio, were selected for the American team during the event.

Its bakers will face the firecrackers, rollers, runners and oven operators delicate for 20 other nations, marking the first time since 2017 that the United States has participated in the competition. The event later this month emphasizes technical mastery, innovation and artistic presentation.

For the baker and owner of the company, Brian Evans, recognition was particularly significant. Baker Autodidact, Evans perfected her skills under the direction of the founder of Rise Adam Gidlow, he said. He hopes that his entry into the competition also highlights the talent of high caliber bread found in the northeast of Ohio.

“Our wand is only flour, water, yeast and salt, and trying to take out the perfect wand of the oven is the kind of challenge that makes me go in this industry,” said Evans during a telephone interview on Wednesday.

He wakes up at 4 am every morning to start a lot of fresh bread for this day.

Evans will run Team USA with Junior Baker Val Kertesz, working under the direction of coach Louis Volle, semi-finalist James Beard Award and medalist who passed to the Mondial du Pain. Together, they will participate in Nantes, France, from October 19 to 22. The news has been reported for the first time by Cleveland.com.

Competition requires 18 unique products, including chopsticks, croissants, sculptures and artistic brioches, produced according to rigorous standards.

“When we present [the baguette] For judges, he must weigh exactly 250 grams and have exactly 55 centimeters long, “said Evans. He and his team will have a two and a half hour preparation window and a eight and a half hour cooking to finish everything.

The World Bread, launched for the first time in 2007 by the ambassadors of the French Bread Group (bread ambassadors), is considered one of the best cooking competitions in the world. It was created to preserve and promote the traditions of craft bread to make the humble basic food, while encouraging bakers to use healthy and natural ingredients. The event not only aims to highlight global talents, but also to promote collaboration and to inspire excellence in the cooking profession.

“Our menu is very diverse,” said Evans. “We have croissants, laminated sticky buns, scones. We have a whole list of really traditional European breads, everything, from a classic wand to a country leaven to a rustic Italian. ”

The Bread Bakers Guild of America has chosen to represent the nation, citing both the technical skills of its bakers and its approach focused on food and the community, the organization said in a press release.

“I love each minute to try to create the perfect bread miche every day,” added Evans. “I hope I can be the first baker that restarts our involvement of the United States in this competition and that I can strengthen excitation within the American bakery community.”

Founded in 2001, the increase is known for its European breads, pastries and sandwiches. With stores in Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights, the bakery has become a pillar of the neighborhood. After the competition, many recipes developed for the event should appear on the house shelves in Cleveland.