Tharshan Selvarajah, a baker from the 20th arrondissement of Paris, won the Grand Prix for the best baguette in the capital on Wednesday, which celebrates its 30th anniversary after the inscription of this French symbol in the intangible heritage of humanity.
This baker, whose business “Au levain des Pyrénées” is located not far from the Place de la Nation, was chosen by a jury, from among 175 candidates, after an entire afternoon spent having a bite to eat. .
A bonus, an international reputation and the Élysée
In addition to a reward of 4,000 euros and “a reputation that goes far beyond the borders of Paris”, the 2023 winner obtains the right to supply the Elysée “according to its production capacity”, recalled Olivia Polski, trade assistant at the Town Hall. de Paris, which organizes the competition each year, in partnership with the Syndicate of Bakers-Pastry chefs of Greater Paris.
This privilege is therefore “not an obligation”, the winner can be based far from the residence of the Head of State, underlines Franck Thomasse, the president of the union. In any case, the winner “minimally doubles his baguette production, plus the rest”, assures Franck Thomasse.
175 competitors tried their luck
Out of 1,122 bakers listed in Paris, 175, or more than 10%, tried their luck by dropping off their baguette at the prestigious union headquarters located on the Ile Saint-Louis.
Each wand was surrounded by a ring bearing a number to ensure the anonymization of the candidates. Divided into three groups for a two-round ballot, the fifteen members of the jury, including six randomly selected Parisians, each tasted a whopping 62 baguettes. “Don’t drink during the first times of the tasting, because you won’t last until the end”, warned Olivia Polski before going to the table.
The baguettes received a score for each of the following five criteria: cooking, taste, crumb, airiness and appearance. They had to be between 50 and 55 cm long, weigh between 250 and 270 grams and have a salt content at a level of 18 grams per kilo of flour.