A flight attendant friend of mine bought a normal baguette at an organic bakery. Not au levain (sour dough), céréale or complet. It was a regular white bread interior kind! Although my Parisian tastebuds were aghast, it did not matter to her. She knew it was going to be better than back home and it was French organic.

I always ask for “Tradition” (said the French way: tra dis ee oon or “tradi” or au levain nature (na toor).

The city of Paris organizes an annual competition to choose the best Parisian baguette.

For the eighteenth contest, Mr. Sébastien Mauvieux of Boulangerie Mauvieux has produced a baguette that measures between 55 and 65 cm and weighs between 250 and 300 grams.

Whether to be organic or not to be organic does not appear to be stipulated as a criteria.

The jury’s decision on the taste, smell, color and texture takes about four hours. Parisian bakers, 168 boulangers (bakers) considered “artisan” produced baguette for judging. Six professionals make up the Grand Prix Jury . Check out the photos of the jury at work and all of those baguettes competing for the Grand Prix! This video link from 2011 shows actual testing and tasting.

The prestigious compensation is two-fold. The winner supplies the Elysées Palace (France’s White House equivalent) with baguette for a year and the winner receives a purse of 4,000 euros.

Mr Mauvieux’s boulangerie is located at 159 rue Ordener in the eighteenth arrondissement. Last year’s winner, Mr. Pascal Barillon, is also located in the 18th. Will all this prestige drive up real estate values???

Love Story

Sébasiten Mauvieux and his wife have been running a bakery for eleven years. Another boulanger introduced them. They are at their present location on rue Ordener in the 18th for the past three years. He works six out of seven days a week from 3 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Mr. Mauvieux told the mayor’s office that being a boulanger is a very physical job; a very tiring job. He admits to taking a little siesta between 3 and 6 p.m.

Previous winners:

2011 Pascal Barillon (Au Levain d’Antan), 6 rue des Abbesses, 75018

2010 Djibril Bodian (Le Grenier à Pain Abbesses), 38 rue des Abbesses, 75018

2009 Franck Tombarel (Le Grenier de Félix), 64 avenue Félix Faure, 75015

2008 Anis Bouabsa (Au Duc de la Chapelle), 32 rue Tristan Tzara, 75018 2007 Arnaud Delmontel, 57 rue Damrémont, 75018

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