The United States will be represented by two bakers at the prestigious 2018 Masters de la Boulangerie competition, set to take place February 3-6, 2018 in Paris during the Europain show.

The global competition pits 18 bakers from around the world for an elite showcase of baking expertise, challenging their creativity, innovation, and technical prowess. The candidates will be competing in one of three specialties: Nutritional Bread Making, Gourmet Baking, and Artistic Bread Making.

America’s representatives are Jeffrey DeLeon and Jacob Baggentstos. DeLeon is the Group Pastry Chef for Farmshop in Santa Monica, California and will be competing in the Gourmet Baking specialty. Baggenstos is the Pastry Chef at Bakery Nouveau in Seattle, Washington and will be competing in the Artistic Bread Making specialty.

The Masters de la Boulangerie will take place over an intense 3 days, as competitors look to become the World Master Baker. Currently, only 6 bakers in the world hold this title.

Launched in 2010, the Masters de la Boulangerie is part of a four-year international competition cycle. Learn more about the competition at its website.