MONTREAL — It had been 15 years since Canada was last represented at the World Pastry Cup, an international event that represents all aspects of the profession from ice cream to chocolate making. After ranking fifth at the continental semi-finals in Santiago, Chili, the team was awarded a wild card from the jury to secure its place at the finals in Lyon, France.
After training for a few months, Team Canada, comprised of chef Patrick Bouilly, chef Jacob Pelletier and chef Ross Baisas, ranked 10th in their battle against 19 other teams from around the globe. The 10-hour competition included a series of drills tackling all fields of pastry art, including three artistic creations and a slew of tasting courses, which featured three chocolate desserts made with Valrhona chocolates, three frozen desserts with fruit purée, 16 frozen lollipops and 10 restaurant-style desserts. Additionally, Team Canada won the Eco-Responsibility Award for its commitment to environmentally-conscious practices.
“No matter what the score board says, Canada was victorious in many ways,” says team president chef Daniel Garcia. “They joined forces without hesitation to take on the best of the best in this grueling test of competency. And, in true Canadian spirit, some of the country’s top pastry stars, including chef Nadege Nourian (Nadege Toronto), chef Rodney Aldate (Goûter Toronto), chef Patrice Demers (Patrice Pâtissier) and chef Christophe Bonzon (Chez Christophe), jumped in action to help by providing advice, landing equipment and by tapping into their resources to make this happen for our country. Equipped with this experience, the world better watch out for Team Canada 2024.”
