The first ever Assembly of Extraordinary Bakers was held in Chicago, at Kendall College, April 2017. We had an amazing time and are so thankful for everyone who made it possible.
We are organizing another Assembly in late Summer/early Fall of 2019, complete with an awesome group of bakers and another crazy party.
Here’s a gallery of photos from the Assembly, plus some pictures of the day our chefs spent working with the kids from After School Matters at the Palmer House.
THE 2017 PRESENTERS WERE:
François Brandt, Netherlands
- Founder and instructor at the Bakery Institute in Zaandam
- Winner of the Masters de la Boulangerie 2010
- Jury member at the Louis Lesaffre Cup 2015
- Member of the Elite de la Boulangerie Internationale
- Presented Brioche Vendéenne with a Lime and Raspberry Filling, Beer Bread with Roasted Potatoes, Speculos Cookies, and Fries Suiker Brood (an enriched bread with sugar nibs and cinnamon)
Jory Downer, USA
- The second of three generations running Bennison’s in Evanston, IL
- Winner of the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie 2005
- Member of the Board of Directors of the Bread Bakers Guild of America
- Presented Chocolate Babka, Rugelach, Lemon Florentine Croissant, and a hand-cut Cake Doughnut
Nicky Giusto, USA
- Fourth-generation miller and baker at Central Milling in Petaluma, CA
- Candidate at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie 2016
- Member of the Bread Bakers Guild of America
- Presented Purple Piñon Bread (purple barley, mesquite, and pine nut), Apricot Khorasan Bread, Vollkorn Dinkelbröt (Spelt Vollkorn), Whole Grain Cornbread, and a Moroccan Spiced Flatbread
Haif Hakim, Senegal
- Owner of Patisserie aux Fins Palais in Dakar
- Coach for Senegal at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie 2012
- Jury Member at the Louis Lesaffre Cup 2015 and the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie 2016
- Member of the Elite de la Boulangerie Internationale
- Presented Sesame & Halloumi Bread, Pave au Moringa, Thyme Crackers, Pain de Mie with Moringa, and Thyme Rolls
Deborah Ott, France
- Gold Medal at the IBA Cup 2009 ( Bread Bakers European Cup)
- Master Baker since 2012
- Bronze Medal at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie 2016
- Presented Mandarin/Raspberry Feuilleté, ‘Crispy/Fondant’ Apple-Rhubarb Danish, Traditional Bread with Flax Seeds, Bredele d’Alsace with Lemon, and Flower Macaron with White Chocolate and Apricots
Pablo Carmona Valverde, Costa Rica
- Candidate at the Louis Lesaffre Cup 2015
- Works at his family’s bakery, Villapastel in San Jose
- Will be using several decorative doughs to build an artistic showpiece throughout the weekend
- Created an Intergalactic Bakers Federation sculpture incorporating elements from each of our presenters’ countries
Francois Wolfisberg, Switzerland
- Second generation owner of Boulangerie-Patisserie Wolfisberg in Geneva
- President of the Richemont Club Switzerland
- Jury Member at the Louis Lesaffre Cup 2015 and the Coupe du monde de la Boulangerie 2016
- Member of the Elite de la Boulangerie Internationale
- Presented Saint-Gallois Bread, his world-famous Animal Breads made of a country dough, Brioche Suisse with different fillings, and an Almond Tuile
Plus our special guest, Molhem Tayara, Syria
- Currently lives in Kalamazoo, MI and works at The Victorian Bakery
- Presented two savory pastries, Fatayer (filled with spinach, lamb or cheese), and Zatayer (a flat pastry topped with herbs)
- For Molhem’s story, read this article