After finishing eighth in 2015 and narrowly missing victory in 2016, Sami Bouattour came first at the Grand Prix de la Baguette de Paris 2017 on May 4. This victory opens the doors of the Élysée to him, as he is now the official supplier of bread and pastries for Emmanuel Macron for one year. Since the announcement of his victory, his bakery Brun, located at 193 rue de Tolbiac in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, has been continuously bustling. Customers flock to taste the baguette eaten by the President.
The competition is highly selective. Nearly 200 artisans competed in this 23rd edition. The baguettes must meet specific criteria regarding size, weight, and salt content per kilo of flour. The jury, made up of professionals and randomly selected amateurs, then judges the product on its baking, taste, crumb, smell, and appearance.
To keep his bread crispy all day, Sami Bouattour says he has a little trick : “bake the traditional baguette at 270° and let it dry for two or three more minutes before taking it out of the oven.”
This victory rewards six years of hard work. A former Parisian restaurateur, this French-Tunisian left everything behind on the advice of his wife, who is passionate about bakery. The couple trained for six months at the Banette school in Loiret and obtained their professional baker’s diploma. They then bought their first bakery in Oise before moving to Paris.
The keys to their bakery’s success ? Passion, rigor, and quality. “The secret of a bakery is simple : good products, hospitality, know-how. It’s a balance between all of these. This is how my wife and I understand craftsmanship. We have partners : family-owned mills that produce quality flour” (quote from Le Point Afrique).
What Next ? Sami Bouattour does not wish to open a new bakery but would like to try other regional competitions and maybe even the national competition.
Sources :
Hassina Mechaï, “Sami Bouattour: and here is President Macron’s baker!”, Le Point Afrique.
Philippe Baverel, “Paris: Sami Bouattour, grand prix de la baguette 2017”, Le Parisien.
Pierre Bafoil, “Who is the baker who will serve the Elysée for a year?”, Le Monde.
“Sami Bouattour receives the ‘grand prix de la meilleure baguette’ of Paris”, TF1.
