NEW YORK -- The United States baking team has won first place at the World Cup of Baking (Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie) in Paris. In the world of artisan baking, i.e. baking as a quality craft, this represents a major victory for the Americans.
The World Cup of Baking is an international competition held every three years in Paris. In 1996, the U.S. team finished in fifth place. This year, 12 countries were represented in the competition.The 1999 Baking Team USA was chosen after a rigorous series of regional and national competitions. Team members included chefs Thomas Gumpel and Robert Jorin, of the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, St. Helena, Calif., and Jan Schat of Il Fornaio Restaurants, also from California.
"Our strict training regimen that we've kept since the spring of 1998 has resulted in this victory," Craig Pontard, the American team's coach, said. "Coming in first place forces the world to take notice of the quality of artisan baking that can be found throughout the U.S."
The team is sponsored by the Bread Bakers Guild of America, a nonprofit organization that provides education in artisan and high-quality bread baking.
Earlier, the World Pastry Cup '99 Team USA won a bronze medal at the finals of the biennial World Cup of Pastry (Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie) in Lyons, France. The French team finished first and Belgium second among entries from 18 countries.