World Pastry Cup - Coupe du Monde de la Patesserie

by © Paul Dodson 2008

Festival Location: Paris, France

Festival Type: Food Festivals

Dubbed the "most delectable competition in the world", France's Coupe du Monde de la Patesserie brings together 66 of the world's premiere pastry chefs from 22 countries in a display guaranteed to make your mouth water.

Each country presents a team of three people selected during a national heat: a pastry-cook, a chocolate maker and an ice-cream maker.

The World Pastry Cup is the only competition of it's kind in the world to be held live. The teams will demonstrate in the open their creativity and technical skills in the making of: a chocolate dessert, a fruit and ice-cream dessert presented on an ice sculpture base, and a typical plate dessert from their country. They have nine hours to come up with the goods.

The pieces will then be marked for their taste and artistic quality by a panel of international judges - one from each participating country.

Created in 1989, the World Pastry Cup is now considered the flagship event in the profession.