The baguette: the Frontrunner

A frontrunner is a horse that often comes out on top at the races, and who runs best while in the lead.  Because of its cultural status and the technical qualities required to make it, the traditional French baguette is the subject of numerous professional competitions.

Each year, the result of the The Grand Prix de la Baguette de Tradition Française de la Ville de Paris is revealed on the forecourt of the Notre-Dame cathedral, in the heart of the capital.

Although the baguette is an urban invention, over 100 years it has won the hearts of the French countryside and the nation as a whole. Every year, people across France await the results of the Concours National de La Baguette de Tradition Française (The National Best Traditional French Baguette Competition), and root for the bakers from their region who have come to demonstrate their expertise.

In France, the traditional French baguette is practically a matter of state significance. In October 2021, Brigitte Macron, France's first lady, was the one handing out the prizes to the winners of the national baguette competition.

The 2019 winner, Mehdi Courgey (25) from Morteau in eastern France hands the 2021 trophy over to Valentin Lecoeur, (50) from Agneaux in the northwestern Normandy region. After a year of interruption due to Covid, the competition travels across the country from East to West.

Every other year, 12 teams of bakers from every continent and every culture come to the Salon Europain in Paris in an attempt to take home the grand prize.

Christian Vabret MOF-Boulanger is an instructor, organizer, and promoter for the World Cup. You could say that he carries the competition on his shoulders, surrounded by his team and his trusted partners.

The World Cup de Boulangerie final is a coming together for the greatest bakers in the world, whether they're former winners or future champions. Here, Christophe Debersee, the 2008 winner, reminisces fondly on his World Cup.

Whether it's in their kitchen or on the stage in front of the audience, bakers can only make the perfect baguette if they get the timings for the rise and the bake down to a T. At major events, the bakers must put everything else to one side in order to be perfectly in sync with their baguettes.

The World Cup final gathers the world's best bakers together in Paris. Their goal? To bring the trophy back home and show the whole world that good bread doesn't just belong to the French.

All united in the love of good bread. 12 nations compete, countries with very different cultures but with very similar baking techniques. Good bread is universal.