An Ohio bakery is set to put American bread on the global stage, the Guardian reports. On the Rise Artisan Breads, a neighborhood favorite in Cleveland Heights, has been chosen to represent the United States at the Mondial du Pain—better known as the "Bread Olympics"—in France. The elite event, held every two years, gathers top bakers from 21 countries to compete in categories ranging from classic baguettes and croissants to intricate bread sculptures. This marks the first time since 2017 that a US team has entered the contest, which this year runs from Oct. 19-22.
Leading the charge is Brian Evans, On the Rise's self-taught head baker and owner, who credits his skills to years under the bakery's founder, Adam Gidlow, who launched the shop known for traditional European breads and pastries in 2001. Evans, who routinely starts his day before dawn, is teaming up with junior baker Val Kertesz and coach Louis Volle, a James Beard award semifinalist and former Mondial du Pain medalist. The team will have two and a half hours of prep time and eight and a half hours of baking time to produce 18 types of breads and pastries under rigorous standards—right down to the exact weight (250 grams) and length (55 centimeters) of a baguette.
Evans sees the competition as a chance to highlight the often-overlooked breadmaking talent in northeast Ohio. "Our baguette is just flour, water, yeast, and salt," he says, "and trying to get the perfect baguette out of the oven every day is the kind of challenge that keeps me going in this industry." Evans tells News 5 Cleveland he applied to represent the US in early 2024 and found out he'd been selected in June of that year. The Bread Bakers Guild of America cited On the Rise's technical prowess and community spirit in its decision to send the team to Nantes, France. Some of the new recipes crafted for the contest may soon surface in the bakery's two Cleveland-area shops.
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