La Fête du Pain 2024: A festival of mauritian creativity!
La Fête du Pain 2024 kicked off in style on May 16 with a day dedicated to bakery professionals: Bakers in the Spotlight or 'Les Boulangers à l'honneur'. Organized by Les Moulins de la Concorde at the Sir Gaëtan Duval Hospitality School, this event showcased the incredible talent of hotel bakers, who competed in challenging yet inspiring categories: artistic centerpiece, viennoiserie, the baker’s tent, and bakery-style catering.
Julien Audibert, General Manager of Les Moulins de la Concorde, expressed his enthusiasm: “I am pleasantly surprised by the quality and originality of the products created. Ingredients like purple sweet potato and pumpkin were used in inventive ways. This confirms the potential and creativity of our bakers.” This first day revealed an exceptional level of competition, where each creation was a true tribute to imagination and culinary boldness.
Among the participants, Hansinee Cadervaloo, Pastry Chef at Lux Grand Gaube, particularly stood out. She won second place in the viennoiserie competition with her creations, including a brioche filled with cassava milk, a traditional Mauritian dessert reinterpreted with finesse and delicacy. “I tried to transform cassava, a humble ingredient, into a work of culinary art,” she said with a smile. Her colleagues won first prize in the bakery-style catering category.
Vishal Lutchmun from Le Jadis Beach Resort & Wellness impressed with his innovative viennoiseries: a brioche made with vibrant purple sweet potato and a Danish pastry filled with coconut and pineapple custard, infused with kaffir lime leaves. These creations, which earned him a third-place tie, amazed the judges with their blend of local flavors.
The trio from Lux Belle Mare—Chefs Veer Rughoonauth, Coolen Parasiven, and Gawrish Geedharry—also made an impression with their roselle compote brioche and a guava cream viennoiserie. Although they didn’t win a prize, their creativity and passion were widely praised.
The bread and baguette creations also stood out for their originality. Bakers presented loaves with unique flavors, such as tomato 'rougaille' baguette with curry leaves, anise, and dragon fruit, as well as bread made with breadfruit, fermented taro, pumpkin, and shrimp. A first! Each loaf was a masterpiece, carefully sculpted and colored with local ingredients.
The next highlight of La Fête du Pain is scheduled for August with the Pain’Croyable Talent competition. Twelve finalists will compete at La Fournée des Moulins, where they will receive professional guidance to refine their skills. The winner will have the honor of representing Mauritius at the Mondial du Pain in Paris. The public edition of La Fête du Pain will take place on October 16, bringing the 2024 edition to a close. This edition promises to celebrate the richness and diversity of Mauritian baking while inspiring a new generation of passionate talents.