restaurant

Jean-Baptiste, you have an exceptional background*, what further successes can we wish you?

To be honest, I only needed one thing: the blue-white-red collar. Indeed, I was in the final of the Meilleur Ouvrier de France competition… and I just failed last week!

But we have just won the title of Best Bakery in France and that makes us move on. We are obviously very happy with this victory!

*Jean-Baptiste Grangé won the Olympiades des Métiers d’Aquitaine at the age of 16 and was crowned Best Young Baker in France in 2011. In 2019, he won the French Cup, then the European Bakery Cup .

What were you looking for by participating in the Best Bakery and who had the idea to participate?

It was M6 production that contacted me on social networks, and I very quickly agreed to participate.

I am a competitor at heart and it was a different contest for me. Already because it was an adventure in pairs. I immediately thought of Antoine, my Pastry Chef, whose work I wanted to promote.

But also for the more media side, under the cameras and the spotlight! Although very different from those I have known in the past, it remains a competition. And when you win it, it’s even better!

During this final, you were competing against candidates you knew quite well…

Indeed, we were in the final against Boulangerie Grain, in Bordeaux. One of the two partners in this bakery, Nicolas, is one of my best friends ! And it was together that we won the French Cup and the European Bakery Cup.

We left together for the shooting of the Best Bakery, without knowing that we would return together. It was pure coincidence! Sharing this final with a very good friend was as improbable as it was moving for me.

What state of mind were you in during the final?

At the start of the week of the final, we were quite relaxed, not yet feeling the pressure of the trophy too much. Arrived at the final test, we were both motivated and determinedknowing that the outcome would be cruel for one of the two bakeries.

In any case, it was an incredible moment, in an exceptional place, with friends, under the spotlight: what an adventure!

Did this experience allow you to learn things about yourself and the pair you form?

I knew why I had chosen Antoine to accompany me in this experience, and Antoine already knew my competitive side very well. This duo adventure has confirmed what we already knew about each other.

Have you noticed an increase in the number of customers in your bakery since the broadcast of the program?

Since the broadcast in February, there has been a increase in attendance and our turnover of 30 to 40%, which is really not negligible. The show has developed our notoriety, and the record ratings we obtained have probably aroused the curiosity of foodies!

Are there any new products planned for your bakery?

We are organizing an event this weekend, with the other finalists Nicolas and Jean-Philippe, from the Grain bakery. We will propose a box with the creations we presented during the week of the televised contest final.

This will allow people from Pau to discover the products of the Grain bakery in Bordeaux. And at the beginning of June, we will offer this box again, but this time in Bordeaux, to discover our products in Gironde!

Would you like to open a new store?

Yes, but not immediately. We don’t yet know where or when… The future will tell!

Finally, what specialties from your bakery would you recommend to our Pau readers, and to those who are passing through Pau?

Everything is to taste! We offer a very nice range of pastries and pastries. As for our breads, they are all organic and sourdough. So I couldn’t highlight one product more than another.

But if visitors are passing through, I would advise them to have breakfast on our terrace !

To watch the final of La Meilleur Boulangerie de France, go to 6play.

Photo credit: Capucine GRANIER DE FERRE / M6 – Screen capture / M6