The 24th edition of Sirha Europain, which took place at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles from March 26 to 29 and revolved around French bakery, gathered 25,000 professionals, 25% of them international, and 300 exhibitors. “This post-crisis edition marks the success of the repositioning of the Salon”, explains Luc Dubanchet, head of the Sirha Food Division of the organizer, GL Events. “The emphasis on French baking, associated with quality and innovation, has proven popular with exhibitors and visitors alike.”

The historic fair hosted some seventy masterclasses and round tables in which current issues such as the volatility of raw materials and trends in the baking industry for 2030 were discussed, as well as techniques for making brioches, pastries, and snacks.

In terms of championships, Sirha Europain became the scene of the European Pastry Cup, which proclaimed the United Kingdom team the winner, made up of Michael Ho Lam Kwan and Nicolas Houchet.  Sweden came in second place and Denmark in third. The three countries thus get a direct ticket to the final of the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie 2023. François Perret, honorary president of this edition highlighted “the high level of the competition with a great and beautiful diversity in the proposed pieces. We find modernity and tradition, with a lot of research at work. In a profession without limits like ours, it is very interesting to see how creative teams can be.”

Another outstanding event that took place at the Salon was the Bakery World Cup. After three days of tests and 11 participating countries, the jury awarded the gold medal to the team from Taipei (China), made up of Wu Tzu Ching (baguettes and world breads candidate), Li Chung We (pastries candidate), Hsu Shao Huan (artistic piece candidate), and Wu Wu Hsien as the coach. The silver medal went to the Netherlands and bronze went to Norway.