SPC Culinary Academy instructors Quentin Delage and Pierre Saucès participated in the French baking competition Coupe de France de la Boulangerie held at the SIRHA Lyon food exhibition in January, and won the French Bakery Champion title. It is a historical competition that marked its 16th anniversary this year. The winning team of this competition is recognized for its authority in the baking industry to the extent that it is qualified to participate in the 32-year-old Coupe de Europe de la Boulangerie.
It can be said that the ability of SPC instructors has been sufficiently proven by the excellent results obtained at the prestigious French Bakery Cup, which is the home of bread. Introducing behind-the-scenes of the competition, the process of the SPC Culinary Academy, and an interview with the two French Bakery Champions, including their future goals.
Meet the Winners of the French Bakery Cup
(From right) Coupe de France de la Boulangerie winners: Quentin Delage and Pierre Saucès
Q. Hello. Please introduce yourself.
-Quentin Delage : I’m Quentin Delage, instructor in charge of INBP Baking Master Class at SPC Culinary Academy. Previously, I was in charge of INBP baking course training in Morocco, and my career at SPC started after I read the announcement for INBP instructor recruitment posted by SPC.
-(Pierre Saucès : I’m Pierre Saucès, instructor in charge of Boulangerie Master Class at SPC Culinary Academy. I used to bake for many years at a store run by a master baker in Paris and have been teaching students in South Korea for two years and six months.
Q. You recently won a competition. Can you please brief us about it?
-Quentin Delage : <Coupe de France de la Boulangerie>is a competition held at SIRHA exhibition in Lyon, France. As much as SIRHA is known as the largest food & food service industry exhibition in Europe, it is a very meaningful competition. The competition is divided into four categories: bread, viennoiseries (pastry), art bread, and snacking. Except for snacking (three-person collaboration), one person is in charge of each category. A total of 12 teams participated in the three-day event this time.
Quentin Delage and Pierre Saucès prepared for the baking competition through endless tests
Q. Was this your first time participating in a competition? It seems that you participated as a team of three people. Please introduce the remaining one person as well.
-Quentin Delage : I participated in 2017 and 2019, and this experience helped me lead other team members in this competition. Aside from that, there is Alexis Peuzin, a baker I’m close to. He runs a private atelier in Auxerre, France, and acquired a Diplôme for Master Bakery in France in 2018. All three of us had the desire to participate in the competition, we happened to be in contact with each other, so we participated together.
-Pierre Saucès : This was my first competition. I am very happy that I did well in my first competition.
Q. Did you expect to win? What does this win mean to you?
-Quentin Delage : After the participation was confirmed, I focused on preparing for the competition, including testing the product at the SPC Culinary Academy’s lecture hall, every weekend for six to eight months. I was proud to have been rewarded for excellency, and it became my driving force to move toward a bigger goal.
-Pierre Saucès : When we made and displayed each piece of bread for the winning team title, I felt that it could not have been better. There was no flaw or product we failed to make. In fact, we received the highest score in all areas. I think the secret is to prepare everything carefully in all areas.
Quentin Delage and Pierre Saucès who lifted trophy as the winning team
Q. What was the work you exhibited?
-Pierre Saucès : I made a variety of products in four events. In line with the theme of ‘space’, Galette (flat cake), which embodies the sun and moon was memorable among all. It won first place and received the Best Galette Award from the French butter brand, Lescure.
Q. What special efforts did you make during the preparation? Did the company help you in preparing for the competition?
-Quentin Delage : I rigorously prepared for the whole process, and have been helped in various ways by SPC. In late evenings and weekends, I was able to test and develop products at the SPC Culinary Academy’s lecture hall, and I was supported through various baking materials and tools. In addition, they allowed me to leave for France in advance so that I could adapt and concentrate on the competition. In order for an individual to prepare for this competition, the cost and process are not easy, but thanks to SPC, I was able to participate in the competition at my best. I would like to thank SPC for this opportunity again.
Roles as SPC Culinary Academy Instructors
Quentin Delage and Pierre Saucès working as lecturers in SPC Culinary Academy
Q. What do you teach at the academy?
-Quentin Delage :I am in charge of INBP. It is the only course that matches the level of regular course of France’s best national bakery school- INBP- in Korea. It is held for five days a week for 15 weeks, followed by a two-week training in France afterward. You can get an INBP Diplôme through the last week’s test results.
-Pierre Saucès : I am in charge of Boulangerie Master Class. The classes are held twice a week for 16 weeks, targeting people with 6 months of experience, who have already established a foundation in French bread. Lectures deal with many recipes, so the curriculum is fast-paced and requires basic knowledge and skills for baking. It deals with various fields including, viennoiserie, snacking, traditional bread, and bakery. The student-centered class is the core of the Boulangerie Master Class.
The INBP lecture is a lecture targeting people who are interested in French bakery, in other words, people who want to understand the dough and raw materials, so it’s focused on teaching the basics of French bread and the principles of the bakery. In the local French training, students take classes from Meilleur ouvrier de France (Best French Artisan) which acts as the final supplement for the course. I’m proud to be conducting student-customized lectures so that students can complete the Diplôme course. I think the local training in France, providing in-depth knowledge that is hard to find in Korea, is an advantage exclusive to INBP.
Quentin Delage and Pierre Saucès, in charge of Boulangerie Master Class and INBP
Q. When do you feel the most rewarded for teaching?
-Quentin Delage : I feel rewarded when I meet the students who have reached the stage of self-realization of their problems. In the case of beginners, they cannot tell what the flaw in their bread is, however, those who possess basic knowledge can sense the problem. I was able to see this growth for most students in the second half of the curriculum.
-Pierre Saucès : I am similar in this. I feel most rewarded at the skill growth of my students. At the beginning of the curriculum, students usually show immature bread molding skills, but as time goes by, they are able to finish bread molding without my assistance. It is rewarding when more and more students do not need help.
Q. What is your signature bread? Where does your inspiration come from?
-Quentin Delage : : I like regional breads of France the most>. The bread I would like to introduce to is the regional bread of France. It is perhaps because of my appreciation for this bread, that at INBP, I’m teaching students so that they can bake French regional bread. I feel inspired by meditating on the actions and work style of my instructors at INBP.
-Pierre Saucès : I am confident in viennoiserie. In particular, I would like to pick croissant. While making bread, I take inspiration from the confectionary masters of France and occasionally take hints from social media.
Quentin Delage and Pierre Saucès making their signature breads
Q. What is your next goal?
-Quentin Delage : We are working hard at SPC Culinary Academy, so please support us!
-Pierre Saucès : With this Cup, I won the title of French Bakery Champion and participated in the European Cup called Coupe de Europe de la Boulangerie. I would like to finish 2023 happily with good results in the European Cup in October.
So far, we listened to the story of Quentin Delage and Pierre Saucès, who won first place at the French Bakery Cup and won the title of French Bakery Champion. You can apply for classes from these two French instructors at SPC Culinary Academy. SPC Culinary Academy, together with its best instructors, will continue to do its best to develop ‘Shared Management’ and grow technical talents that develop Korean baking technology and culture.
[SPC Culinary Academy]
As a specialized educational institution in the field of confectionery, bakery, cooking, coffee and wine, SPC strives to grow domestic technology and talent under the corporate philosophy of ‘Sharing is our mission’.
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