Coupe du Mondede la Pâtisserie ..as exciting as it gets!

For those of you who don't know me, outside of travelling you will find me inside a kitchen making bavarians or mousses as I am a pastry chef. Food is my other passion, particularly pastry and it is another reason why I love to travel so much. Travel allows me to see different cultures through their food and whenever I taste a local dessert I really do feel connected to that city, I feel like I've experienced that culture. Recipes usually reflect local produce or spices that are in abundance in that particular area of the world and some pastries will even have interesting history behind them! So, you can understand why I was incredibly excited to travel to Lyon at the end of our two week road trip to attend the World Pastry Cup! Yes, it exists and it's every bit exciting as you would imagine a pastry cup to be. From cheering fans, horns to the drama of falling sugar sculptures. Attending the Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie has been a dream of mine for many years and I still can't believe I was able to attend.
Along with an international pastry competition, there was a humongous trade show at the Sirha Trade building and here you could find every industry product and equipment you could imagine. It was so exciting to admire the cutting edge products and techniques and I really did learn so much. However, the main event for me was attending the Coupe du Monde and the first morning of the two day event we lined up extra early at the entrance gate along with dozens of Japanese fans bearing flags, face paint and noise makers. When the time finally came for opening everyone shoved through in a mad rush to get to the stadium.
We managed to get THE prime seats with perfect views of all competing teams, judging tables and sculptures and I was happy to say we were the first ones in...both days (yes I am a die hard and my fiance is supportive). The sound of chainsaws tearing into ice blocks filled the stadium and we watched intently as an emotionless block of ice slowly transformed into works of art with nothing more than an industrial chainsaw and a pick.

Throughout the morning we admired the ice sculpture artists, the beginning stages of sugar and chocolate showpieces and finally the judged desserts. There were three categories of served desserts: Iced dessert, Chocolate dessert and plated desserts.

                                                    

Along with the chocolate, sugar and ice sculptures these components made up the competition and eventually determined the world champion. Watching the talented chefs hard at work with such grace and concentration was incredibly inspirational...these people were the finest of the pastry world and I truly felt honored to have the opportunity to watch them.
The desserts you witness at Coupe du Monde are like no other. The plates are pieces of art decorated with hand crafted sculptures and perfectly placed sauces and the main components boast world class flavor combinations. Many countries also follow a very distinctive theme throughout their desserts such as Italy's 'Circus' theme or Frances' race car theme.

My favourite part about attending the Coupe du Monde was the cheers and applaudes that occurred after every slice into a dessert. Unassuming white domes of iced bombes revealed bold red sorbets and vibrant green disks inside sending the crowds into a frenzy...the energy was amazing.

 Close up cameras provided excellent views of the desserts on the large screen giving the audience a judges view. You could never tell the reaction from a judge when they sampled a spoonful of carefully prepared cake or icecream, as each judge remained emotionless and serious...I don't know how they did it!

At the end of each day countries must move their chocolate and sugar sculptures to judging tables and everyone holds their breaths as teetering works of art sway in the air. I will never forget the sound when Malaysia's amazing sugar sculpture as it came crashing to the ground. Hours of hard work and tedious details gone in a split second, it was gut wrenching to watch. However, it wouldn't be a world class competition with people pushing ideas to the limit if there was no drama.

 Many countries intertwined their sugar and chocolate sculptures together especially France and Korea whose pieces worked seamlessly together to create one impressive scene. My personal favourite was South Korea mainly because of the piercing eyes painted onto their Medusa sculpture...the eyes looked right through you!

Italy's circus scene was also amongst my top favourites with the USA surprisingly not being very impressive to me personally this year. All of the countries did a fantastic job and truly demonstrated why they were on the pastry world class stage. Both action packed days were fantastic and watching team France win the competition was an honor especially when the young team captain shakily accepted the prize with tears in his eyes...he truly had reached a tremendous goal.

Since I was a Red Seal Pastry Chef, I was given a VIP badge allowing me to enter the 'Chefs Area' where I was able to admire all of the countries sculptures up close and admire the detail that was put into each piece. We got to wander around the room alongside proud competitors with champagne in hand and chefs busily networking. I even got to stand within meters of the Coupe du Monde founder MOF Gabriel Paillasson and if I'd spoken more French I would of even had the opportunity to have a quick conversation with him.

Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie was such an exciting event and I am so happy to of attended. It was everything I'd ever imagined it to be and more! My fiance and I have decided that every other year when the competition takes place, we are going to attend. The competition provokes inspiration, creativity and admiration to both professionals and pastry enthusiasts alike and makes me so proud to be a pastry chef as it truly is a magical profession where the sky is your limit.

Switzerland...not for the cheap traveller!

  On our road trip to Lyon we decided to spend a few days in Switzerland as it's been on our list of must sees for quite some time. I had dreams of fondue, green valleys with people yelling "Ricola" and of course the Swiss Alps. I was both very disappointed and very satisfied with Switzerland. There was indeed fondue and snowed capped Alps, but the exorbitant cost really was a shock to me. We had planned on stopping at hostels along our journey for a reasonable cost but instead had to stay at hotel-priced hostels with no kitchens! I must admit, our 5 day trip through Switzerland really broke our budget.
  We started out by staying in a small town called Biel (as the hostel in Bern was far too expensive for us) which was only an hour from Bern. The Lago Lodge hostel did have all the amenities such as a kitchen, living room and a friendly cat and overall was a good experience. We went for a day trip the following day to Bern where I was sadly very disappointed. I'm not sure what I was expecting exactly but it lacked excitement for me and looked very much like any other European city. Although not my favourite destination, there were still some interesting sights such as the old clock tower, Einsteins home and the network of covered shopping arches.

Once you visit a number of European cities, unfortunately they tend to start to look very similar and you favour visiting the small villages with no chain stores and restaurants.

   After Berne we drove to the beautiful lakeside town of Lucerne which has been ranked among the world's prettiest cities, and I would have to agree! The setting is perfect with the town built along the sparkling lake and the beginning of the Alps in the backdrop.

 You can wander through the little streets, sample delicious Swiss chocolates or walk across the famous Chapel bridge. Strolling along the pathway that hugs Lake Lucernes shore is a must as well and you may even get a hello from a very friendly Swan!

There is a local legend about one of the mountains overlooking Lake Lucerne. It is said that in medieval times there was a dragon that lived on Mount Pilatus ! You can actually take a cogwheel railway (world's steepest!) up to the top from May to November and check out the legends for yourself! I also hear that the "Golden Trip" excursion is fantastic as well starting with a boat trip across the lake, a cogwheel train to the top, cableways down, followed by a bus ride back to Lucerne. A visit to the picturesque town of Lucerne is a must when visiting Switzerland!

   After Lucerne we had a wonderful day of driving to Geneva with a stopover in the small mountain village of Gruyere...yes, where the cheese comes from!! It was so "Swiss" to me and provided wonderful views of the surrounding mountains as well as a couple restaurants offering local specialties such as Fondue (prepare to pay a hefty price of 25 Euros a person!) and my personal favourite, Raclette.

There is also a castle perched on the mountain at the end of the town offering tours ($$), as well as a very random museum showcasing the works of the Artist from the Alien film. So be prepared to suddenly see alien statues as well as an Alien cafe during your wander through Gruyere. It always is so interesting the strange sights you see in the places you would least expect it.

Lastly, there is CHEESE of course, and lots of it! You can visit a factory at the base of the mountain upon entry into Gruyere where you can go for tours and purchase the famous cheese. The cheese was to die for and I think we ate the entire wedge that evening!

    Our day in the car driving through the Alps was fantastic, and was my favourite day in Switzerland. Driving the switch-backs through the mountains was exhilarating and provided so many views that pictures or words cannot describe. The Swiss Alps are truly stunning and really make you realize just how small you are in this world.

 I seen the vibrant green foothills where I imagined hearing "Ricola" and the cattle dotting the fields. It was a drive I will never forget and I think is a must while in Switzerland. If you do not have a vehicle I would highly recommend spending the money on a train ride through the Alps as you will not get the Swiss experience by simply going from the big cities of Bern to Geneva through the valley.

 

 A WORD OF CAUTION: If driving through Switzerland make sure to buy a Vignette BEFORE travelling on Swiss roads! Purchase this sticker ahead of time, at the border or before renting your car in Switzerland at a Post office. It is compulsory and will cost you 33 Euros. You must buy the vignette good for one year as there is no shorter option. It is illegal to drive on Swiss tolled highways (national highways class 1 and 2) without the sticker and will get you a large fine if found without one. You could attempt to stay off these roads but after looking at the maps hard, we decided the amount of extra time it would take to get anywhere would be worth the price of the sticker. We did not purchase a vignette the first day as we had never heard of one before and when we passed through the border we were not aware that there was a designated purchasing lane... luckily we were informed by a fellow traveller in our hostel that evening! We went first thing the next day to the Post office and bought our shiny new sticker and stuck it on our rental. Also, don't think you can temporarily attach it and later re-sell it as it is not only illegal, but the vignette itself is scored to prevent you from doing so. For more information visit http://www.tolltickets.com/country/swiss/vignette.aspx?lang=en-GB

   Our last two nights in Switzerland were spent in Geneva where I was terribly disappointed. The city itself was very plain and uninteresting to me and the hostel was so unbelievably overpriced at over 40 Euros a person per night! This price didn't even include a parking space or a kitchen! I was not impressed with not having a kitchen in a hostel as it forces you to have to go out and purchase expensive food which can push you very quickly over budget. One recommendation after spending many nights in hostels, is to always look for hostels with a kitchen as this a sure-way to keep yourself on budget and allowing you to prepare lunches for the following day to avoid hunger splurges.
   The one attraction we wanted to see in Geneva, the large jet fountain, was not even on due to the temperature being one degree too low. We also ventured to the European United Nations headquarters office in hopes of touring the building but decided not to visit after seeing the 12 CHF price tag. I strongly feel that citizens of UN nations should not have to pay a fee to visit a UN office that is already funded by our tax dollars...I just feel it should be open for all to visit without the price tag and gift shops. I am sure the tour is very good and educational and if you don't mind the charge than I think it would be worth checking out. Outside of the UN Headquarters there is an interesting art sculpture of a giant chair symbolising "opposition to land mines and cluster bombs, and acts as a reminder to politicians and others visiting Geneva." *

   Switzerland is a beautiful country offering majestic landscape, delicious specialties and enough shopping to make you drop. Although not mentioned on this blog, there is of course endless world famous skiing and rental chalets for memorable ski vacations.  For the true Swiss feel try to visit the smaller mountain villages and if you can afford to, indulge in fondue and raclette (or make it at the hostel like we did for cheap!). Be prepared to fork out some cash when visiting this country and make sure to do some financial planning if backpacking. I will always remember the Alps reaching high up into the sky...
For information on Swiss Hostels visit http://www.swissbackpackers.ch/

* From Wikipedia

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