CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — For the first time since 2017, the U.S. will be represented at the prestigious Mondial Du Pain in October, and the cherry on top is that the team is from Cleveland Heights.
Often called the “Olympics of bread baking,” the biennial competition in France gathers top bakers from around the globe.
On The Rise Artisan Breads Owner and Head Baker, Brian Evans, will head to the competition in just two weeks alongside his assistant baker, Val Kertesz and coach Louis Volle, a James Beard semifinalist and past Mondial medalist.
"Twenty-one different countries from around the world. There is no greater honor than being able to go to compete at something like this," Evans told me.
Evans said he applied to represent the U.S. in early 2024.
He described the interview process as long, but well worth the wait.
Ironically, on his birthday last year in June, Evans got the call that he'd been selected to compete.
"I had a smile from ear to ear," he said.
Kertesz added, "He told me that he would have to elect an assistant, and his exact phrasing was, 'I'm going, are you?' The thrill of that has never really died down."
A requirement of the competition is that the assistant baker is under the age of 23, and Kertesz is 20 years old.
"It's been a really incredible journey. I'm incredibly honored to be working with Brian and with our coach, Louie. I have learned so much in the past year, like my knowledge and my skills have just gone up exponentially," Kertesz said.
Neither Evans nor Kertesz has competed in a competition of this scale, but they both said they're ready for the challenge.
This American team will be required to create 18 different pastries within roughly 11 hours.
Products need to be ready for tasting five hours into the competition and will be judged every half hour from there.
Teams will have creative freedom, but are under strict production criteria and time limits.
"The level of precision that they're looking for on these products is what makes the competition as strenuous as it is," Evans explained. "An example is like the baguettes have to weigh exactly 250 grams when they come out of the oven at the end, and they have to be exactly 55 centimeters long. Our croissants have to weigh exactly 60 grams when they're done, and they all need to look identical."
Evans said the precision is no issue for his team because they adhere to strict guidelines even when putting pastries on the shelves of their Cleveland Heights bakery.
As the assistant baker, Kertesz will facilitate the production of the dishes.
"Scaling out the ingredients, setting up a table, and in a lot of cases it does mean going back and shaping, baking, mixing, all of that. It's very much a support role," they explained.
There has been a process of trial and error, though, as they try to perfect something that already seemingly looks perfect.
"There are certainly nerves, but having such a long time to prepare has certainly made it a little bit easier getting this close to the finish line," Evans said.
Kertesz added, "I think no matter how much time we would have, we'd never feel totally ready but I'm confident we will put on a great show when we get there. The competition sort of mirrors how our normal production flow works in the bakery and so while nothing will ever compare, I think we have the skills necessary to produce such a large quantity of products in a constrained amount of time."
Evans and Kertesz are also excited to put Cleveland Heights on the baking map.
To bring the taste of home to the 10 judges' mouths, Evans said they'll be using local ingredients like honey and flour.
"One of the people that works here has a bunch of beehives, and so we're taking some of her honey to use in our honey brioche pastry that we're doing. We've built a partnership with some millers down in Columbus that source all Ohio grain. They're called Local Millers, and we're highlighting two of their flours in one of our nutritional breads. We're using apples from Wolf Farm for one of our apple croissant pastries, so we really wanted to try to tie in what made us, us here in the Midwest," Evans said.
Main ingredients like butter, sugar, and chocolate will be provided by the competition.
While bringing home the "gold" is the goal, Evans and Kertesz said they already feel like winners having been a part of the competition and representing their home country on an international level.
"Just incredibly proud," Evans said. "It really does sort of speak to what we do at at our bakery."
He told me the most important takeaway, regardless of winning, is the knowledge he's gained.
The team will hop on a plane on Oct. 13 to head to the competition.
"It's funny. As the past year has gone by, it's felt more real and now less real. It's incredible how much work you can do in a year," Kertesz said. "It wouldn't be possible if we didn't have the passion to see it through."
If the American team wins, they'll walk away with a trophy.
Due to the time difference between France and the U.S., Evans said tuning into the live competition may be difficult, but there are other ways to watch and support them.
"Following us on Instagram to see the journey, stopping by the bakery to grab a baguette. We have some merchandise, some team swag, so to speak. After the competition, you know, coming in and saying hi and grabbing some of our bread," Evans listed some of the ways the community can support his team and bakery.
When the competition is over, many of the products will be freshly made available at the bakery.
On the Rise operates locations in Cleveland Heights and at the Van Aken Market Hall in Shaker Heights.
