Grands Moulins de Paris, an institutional partner of the 2023 International Culinary Photography Festival (FIPC), is proud to present the 14th edition of this prestigious event dedicated to the artistic fusion of our everyday food and the art of photography.
This year, the International Festival of Culinary Photography (FIPC) celebrated bread. As a global symbol of French cuisine, bread inspires and fuels the imagination of the photographers attending the festival, resulting in a vibrant edition.
As a miller with a century of history, we take numerous steps every day to promote French baking expertise around the world. Following the inscription of artisanal skills and the culture of the baguette on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, supporting this festival was a wonderful opportunity to continue promoting our wheat-flour-bread industry.
“Through this competition, our industry—which is firmly committed to sharing and passing on knowledge, and brings together farmers, millers, and bakers—is receiving artistic recognition”
, Pierre Garcia, CEO of Grands Moulins de Paris
Artistic exploration in the heart of Paris
From November 17 to 30, 2023, the Salle Olympe de Gouges (11th arrondissement, Paris) opened its doors to all food photography enthusiasts.
The official competition features60 photos, as well as the 18 entries from the Young Talents contest, which showcases the emerging talent of young people training in baking and photography.
Twenty photographers competed in the Festival, and each one“captured the diversity of bread in all its forms,” as Catherine Dumas, Senator from Paris, noted. To enter the competition, each photographer had to submit three photos, and the judges were tasked with evaluating these triptychs.
A day dedicated to bread and discussions
On Thursday, November 23, the Salle Olympe de Gouges hosted a day of meetings and discussions on the topic of bread, open to the public and led by renowned experts. Among the speakers, Marie-Aude Lebrun, Head of Artisan Bakery and Corporate Marketing at Grands Moulins de Paris, will discuss Grands Moulins de Paris’s role in the history of bread.
The Golden Lentils: Awards Ceremony
The highlight of the festival took place on November 30 with the presentation of the prestigious “Les Lentilles d’Or.” The event honored the exceptional talents who captured the symbiosis between bread and photography in a remarkable way.
Grands Moulins de Paris Special Prize: A jury of experts
Among the awards was the“Prix Spécial Grands Moulins de Paris,” presented by Pierre Garcia at the 2023 Lentilles d’Or ceremony on November 30.
The selection process for the winner of the “Grands Moulins de Paris Special Prize” was overseen by a jury of professionals from the baking industry. Chaired by Pierre Garcia, this jury includes figures such as Cédric Arsac, Catherine Peigney, Jérôme Brohet, Rémi Héluin and Marjolaine Alary, all passionate about the tradition of bread.
This year, the winner was photographer Laurent Rodriguez.
Laurent Rodriguez, who managed to capture both:
• bread and its raw ingredients for his first project, “The Field of Bread”
• the crumb, captured in a close-up titled “The Heart of the Bread”: “I sliced the bread and used backlighting,” explains the photographer.
• those who bake bread, once again playing with light and shadow for her third photo, “Man and Bread.”
Young Talent Contest: Different Perspectives on Bread
Because it is important in every industry to pass on the craft to future generations, the FIPC also offers a Young Talent Award. The creation of this award has given six apprentices fromthe Paris School of Baking and Pastry the opportunity to collaborate in pairs with students from Spéos International Photography School over the past few months on a photography project highlighting bread, thereby bringing together two creative worlds.
As Pierre Garcia pointed out during the ceremony,“It is a source of great pride to see that our young talents are true ambassadors of French-style breadmaking around the world through these competitions.”
For her part, Christelle Herenberg, director of the EBP, highlighted the value of this project:“It’s a wonderful educational experience that brings together artistic talents to continue inspiring wonder and showcasing talent in the world of bread,” before presenting the award to the winning duo: Valentine Saceda, a Speos student, and Mamadou Tourre, a student in the Professional Certificate program at the EBP.
The two students were thrilled to receive this award. Here is what they had to say at the Young Talents Awards ceremony.
• Valérie Saceda: “It’s been a wonderful experience to work with an apprentice artisan baker; it’s great to be able to exchange ideas.”
• Mamadou Tourré: “Through these photos, I hope to show you how much I love this profession.”
The traveling exhibition
All of the works submitted for the Young Talents Award will be on display at the EBP throughout December and then in January at the Spéos School.
The full FIPC exhibition will then be on display at the Château de Valençay starting in March 2024.
