Baking Team Canada wants a win in Vegas

September 23, 2010, Canada – Baking Team Canada hopes
to make history by being the first Canadian team ever to qualify for the Bakery
World Cup.

The first hurdle the team will have to clear is the Louis
Lesaffre Cup at the International Baking Industry Exposition in Las Vegas next
week. Judges will pick one winner from the North American competitors (USA,
Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica) and one from the South American competitors
(Chile, Columbia, Brazil and Argentina) to advance to the Bakery World Cup to
be held in Paris, France in 2012.

Canada has never made it past the regional qualifying round
of the Bakery World Cup, but this year’s team is hoping to change that.

“I think Canadian bakers have the talent to achieve the same
success Canadian chefs have achieved internationally,” says team manager Alan
Dumonceaux. He says the team is taking a more strategic approach in their
preparation this year, “getting organized earlier and committing to put in the
hours needed to train.”

Team members Marcus Mariathas (competing in Baguettes &
World Bread), Alan Dumonceaux (Viennese Pastries) and Bill Clay (Artistic
Piece) have put in hundreds of hours practicing for the competition. Most of
that time has been spent practicing individually, but the team has gotten together
as a whole for a few practice sessions in the months leading up to the Louis
Lesaffre Cup.