If you're a bread geek you know that the Baking World Cup is just around the corner. Properly known as the Coupe De Monde De Boulangerie, this is the Olympics of the baking world. It takes place every three years in Paris at the European exhibition, a major world bread, pastry, and catering expo. This time around it's scheduled for March 30 through April 1, 2008. Started in 1992, the Baking World Cup gives the three competitors -- from twelve teams -- eight hours to make from scratch all of their breads. The each teammate is responsible for a specific category; baguette and specialty breads, vienoisserie (which is all of the croissant and puff pastry type breads), and artistic design (this person is spends the day making a showpiece from bread). This year there is an additional category called savory selection which requires that all three teammates work together to create a selection of savory rolls, pastries, and small sandwiches.
The Bread Bakers Guild of America sponsors Team USA at the Baking World Cup. It holds a series of competitions to find its next set of team members every three years, choosing the next team just before the current team competes. This gives the team three years to prepare. The members of Team USA competing in 2008 are Dara Reimers in artistic expression, Solveig Tofte in Baguette/Specialty breads, and Peter Yuen in Vienoisserie. Go Team USA!
