A baker presenting her cake to the judges
| Photo Credit: Anagha Maareesha
The French consulate in Bengaluru recently hosted the semi-finals of the French Patisserie Competition 2025. The competition saw seven professional chefs from the city compete to qualify for the finals which will be held in Delhi on June 10, 2025. The bakers presented their creations to the judges, Marc Lamy, the consul general of France in Bengaluru, Vianney Meynier, head of agritech department at Business France, and noted chef Manu Chandra. This is the third edition of the competition, and the second one to be held in Bengaluru. The winner of the competition wins a five-day trip to Paris.
Vianney explains, “The main drive behind the event was to promote French gastronomy and ingredients. Business France is in charge of trade and business in the country; we are at service of the embassy. For the event we partnered with Le Cordon Bleu, the premier culinary school.” The contestants had to use ingredients from French brands, such as the butter by Président by Lactalis and Monin syrup, and create a unique recipe. “We thought patisserie is a good angle to focus on as there are many new players in India, and France is known for their expertise in the field.”
A tart by one of the bakers
| Photo Credit:
Anagha Maareesha
Around 25 entries were received and seven were short listed for the event. On the day, the bakers showcased their creations, and the chefs questioned them about it and tasted each cake. Participants included Jaswinder Singh from ITC Hotels, Ashwani Sharma from Courtyard Marriott Hebbal, independent baker Domnique Fieux, chef Luxmi from The Lalit Ashok Bengaluru, Raju Vinayak Mutkekar from IBIS Novotel, Krishanu Dey from The Ritz Carlton Bengaluru and Melroy Barboza from ITC Gardenia. The cakes included recipes such as Tarte Pomme d’Amour, Caramel Pop Corn Praline Tart and Single Origin Dark Chocolate Framboise Entremet. The results will be shared by the end of this week. A total of 12 contestants from across the country will go to Delhi for the finals.
(L-R) Judges Marc Lamy, Manu Chandra and Vianney Meynier
About the event, Marc Lamy, the consul general of France in Bengaluru said, “It was a very nice experience. There was a lot of talent in this competition. What I love the most is how they were able to make a fusion between French techniques and ingredients, with an Indian twist. Very inspiring.”
Chef Manu Chandra said, “It was fantastic and great to come to the consulate. It was very technical. This was a harder challenge to judge than your usual competition, because the contestants were accomplished pastry chefs. That is when the fun begins, that is when the judging gets hard. Who does not like a challenge!”
Published – May 22, 2025 11:40 am IST