In early April, we had the pleasure of welcoming Taiwanese bakers to Paris for three days to immerse themselves in our expertise and share our baking culture. This masterclass, which brought together a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, a World Bakery Champion, and the Grands Moulins de Paris teams, was organized by and for one of our clients, Éric HSU, a baker in Cagnes-sur-Mer (06).
From left to right: Joël Defives (Meilleur Ouvrier de France) — Éric Hsu (artisan baker in Cagnes-sur-Mer) — Wu Pao-Chun (Master Baker in the bread category at the 2010 World Bakery Cup).
Éric HSU, founder of "French Bakery Road Trips" and an artisan baker who promotes French baking expertise to the people of TaiwanAdd your title here
Éric HSU is an artisan baker of Taiwanese origin. Éricarrived in France in 1998 to earn his CAP in pastry making in Meaux (77). After spending 10 years in the Paris region, he moved to the Var to open his first bakery in 2011. In 2014, he returnedto Taiwanfor 8 years, wherehe opened 4 bakeries and published 2 books on baking and pastry making(“Les pâtisseries d’antan” and “Le pain quotidien à la française”). During that time, he participated as a demonstrator for TEHMAG, in partnership with Grands Moulins de Paris, in three baking demonstrations.
Upon returning to France in August 2022, he opened his bakery in Cagnes-sur-Mer (06), where he continued to hone his skills and compete in various local competitions.In late 2023, he was awarded the title of “Best Galette in the Alpes-Maritimes.”
Among his projects is a plan to organize a “road trip” showcasing French bakeries for Taiwanese professionals.For his first trial run in the Paris region, he has enlisted our support. “Preparing for this first event took nearly six months. My goal is to repeat the experience three to four times a year. The next session has already been confirmed for June in the South of France,”explains Éric HSU.
Joël Defives, Meilleur Ouvrier de France, partner for the demonstrations held at EBP Paris
Éric HSU invited Joël DEFIVES to participate in this first demonstration session.The two met during a demonstration in 2022at Monsieur Madeleine in Reims (a baker who appeared on the M6 TV show “La Meilleure Boulangerie de France” in 2023).
For this masterclass, held at theÉcole de Boulangerie et de Pâtisserie in Paris,Joël DEFIVES presented 17 recipes over two days, emphasizing traditional baking methods (liquid and sourdough starter, slow kneading technique, shaping, and toppings for finishing). Among the Grands Moulins de Paris flours used was the Platine Label Rouge CRC, Petit Épeautre, Khorasan flour, T80 stone-ground flour, T150 whole wheat bread and corn flour.
Florent PETTI, a member of the Confrérie des Boulangers Grands Moulins de Paris, was also present to assist with the preparation of the recipes being presented.
Tour of the mill, the EBP Paris, and iconic bakeries
In addition to the masterclass with Joël DEFIVES, this French bakery “road trip” included several exclusive visits.
After arriving in Paris on Tuesday, the group from Taiwan began with atour of the Paris-Gennevilliers mill, accompanied by Frédéric PIRES, the quality coordinator.
At the end of the visit, thanks to the support of Sylvain GROC and his team, the group from Taiwan was ableto explore our clients’ Parisian bakeries: “Baptiste” by Joël DEFIVES, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, and “Les Eclairs du Palais” by Marijana and Jovan Mirceski.
For dinner, they had the chanceto experience French cuisinewith a meal on Ducasse’s houseboat.
On Wednesday, the tour continued with apresentation of the Paris School of Baking and Pastryby Christelle HERENBERG, the school’s director, followed by a demonstration by Joël DEFIVES.
The following day,we were pleased to welcome representatives from the Taiwanese Embassy, as well as Pierre Garcia, Managing Director; Christophe Duché, Director of Sales for All Markets; and Vincent Mathieu, Director of Export Sales, who were there to highlight the importance of these cultural exchanges.
The Taiwanese were thrilled with the experience!
We were fortunate to have among our participants Wu PAO-CHUN, Master Baker in the bread category at the 2010 World Bakery Cup, who was thrilled by this “road trip” through French bakeries. He noted in particular:“I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and precision at the Paris-Gennevilliers mill. I would like to congratulate everyone I met, both at the mill and at the school, as well as the Grands Moulins de Paris sales team and Joël Defives, for their professionalism and their knowledge of the baking industry. I was able to appreciate the quality of the flours as well as the finished products made during these two days. A big thank you!”
