Tharshan Selvarajah, a baker in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, won Wednesday the Grand Prix for the best baguette of the capital, which celebrates its 30th anniversary after the inscription of this French symbol in the intangible heritage of humanity.

This baker, whose business "Au levain des Pyrénées" is located not far from the Place de la Nation, was chosen by a jury, among 175 candidates, at the end of a whole afternoon spent having a snack.

A bonus, an international reputation and the Élysée

In addition to a reward of 4,000 euros and "a reputation that goes far beyond the borders of Paris", the 2023 winner obtains the right to supply the Elysée "according to its production capacity," said Olivia Polski, assistant to commerce at the City of Paris who organizes the competition each year, in partnership with the union of bakers-pastry chefs of Greater Paris.


And presto! Visit of the winner of the #Paris 2023 #meilleurebaguette 🥖 and his teams "Au levain des Pyrénées" 44 rue des Pyrénées #75020 @Anne_Hidalgo @cnbpf @BarillonPascal @EricPliez pic.twitter.com/fQy5guzde9

— Olivia Polski (@OliviaPolski) May 10, 2023

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This privilege is therefore "not an obligation", the winner can be based far from the residence of the head of state, says Franck Thomasse, the president of the union. In any case, the winner "multiplies at least by two his production of chopsticks, plus the rest," says Franck Thomasse.

175 competitors tried their luck

Out of 1,122 bakers identified in Paris, 175, or more than 10%, tried their luck by dropping off their baguette at the prestigious headquarters of the union located on the Ile Saint-Louis.

Each wand was encircled with a ring with a number to ensure the anonymization of the candidates. Divided into three groups for a two-round ballot, the fifteen members of the jury, including six Parisians drawn at random, each tasted the trifle of 62 baguettes. "Do not drink during the first time of the tasting, because you will not last until the end," warned Olivia Polski before going to the table.

The chopsticks received a score for each of the following five criteria: cooking, taste, crumb, honeycomb and appearance. They had to be between 50 and 55 cm long, weigh between 250 and 270 grams and have a salt content of 18 grams per kilo of flour.

  • Local
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  • Elysée