Member Article

Peru takes gold in Delifrance Sandwich World Cup

An all-female final of the 11th Delifrance Sandwich World Cup saw Peru’s Ivalu Acurio take first place winning a 15-day, internship and training course with the international bakery manufacturer, worth €5,000.

Ivalu went head to head with Karolyna Pialitska from Greece and Eylul Siir Guven from Turkey who came second and third respectively with their sandwiches ‘The Blooming Spring’ and ‘The Fasolada’.

The event, which was held at the Ecole de boulangerie et de pâtisserie de Paris on 14 March, was hotly fought by 10 international catering students including 18-year-old Nathan Lane from University College Birmingham (UCB).

Entrants were tasked with creating a dish which represents their home country which was judged by world food professionals including three-star Michelin chef Arnaud Donckele and “Best French Craftsman” MOF Baker Sylvain Herviaux. The winner was announced in front of a live audience on 15 March at the Sandwich and Snack Show in Paris.

Each candidate selected a sandwich ‘carrier’ from a range of Délifrance breads and viennoiserie and was tasked with creating an original recipe that is nutritional, quick and easy to prepare.

A native of Lima in Peru and a student at the Lausanne Hospitality School in Switzerland, winner Ivalu Acurio prepared a sandwich made with a Délifrance ciabattina containing quinoa, a grain that is part of Peruvian culinary culture.

The winning sandwich features hake, local spices, and Huacatay sauce, made with an aromatic plant from South America.

Co-President of the jury, Arnaud Donckele praised the winning sandwich, saying: “This is a three-star sandwich, worthy of any top cookery competition. Ivalu put her heart and soul into this recipe, which is a throwback to the flavours of her childhood.”

Nathan, whose sandwich, ‘An English Country Garden’, included locally sourced wood pigeon, beetroot and pear served on a Délifrance Héritage Poolish Loaf, said the experience was incredible and has been a huge boost for his catering education.

“The Delifrance World Cup 2016 was amazing and a truly rewarding experience,” he said. “I was very pleased with my entry and the feedback from the international judges who said that although using wood pigeon pushed the boundaries and was a risk, the flavours worked really well together in a sandwich that reflected the high level of creativity seen in the UK.”

Nathan, also a member of the gold award-winning UCB culinary team at La Parade Des Chefs in 2015, added: “I enjoy a challenge and the Délifrance Sandwich World Cup gave me the opportunity to express modern gastronomy in a British sandwich.”

The Délifrance Sandwich World Cup has been held every two years since 1999 and challenges budding chefs to transform the humble sandwich into a gastronomical delight. This year’s UK finalist was handpicked by the Délifrance team after a series of cookery demonstrations.

Stéphanie Brillouet, Head of Marketing at Délifrance UK, said: “The competition was extremely high this year and we are incredibly proud of Nathan taking part and doing such a great job representing the UK. This is a fantastic achievement for him in his catering career and we look forward to seeing more from him in the future.’’

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Approach PR .