Uncovering the intense competition for Montreal’s best baguette 2024.
Since they were kids, brothers Maxime and Bastien Mottier, owners of French bakery Ô Petit Paris in the Plateau Montreal, have always gone to their local bakery in France and bought freshly baked baguettes for family gatherings. By using the same French flour that was used by that beloved bakery, they now aim to share those cherished moments and memories through each batch of baguettes they bake in Montreal.
Having won the best baguette of Montreal prize for the best baguette in 2022 and 2023, the Mottier brothers intend to use the same recipe and flour for this year’s contest. They have made it their mission to represent their home country through this flour, bringing their French touch to Montreal to satisfy their current and future clientele as best they can.
With the help of media outlet Maudits Français and l’Union Française de Montréal, the organizers of the annual best baguette competition selected 11 bakeries to compete in the grand finale that took place on March 14. The results were given the night of, based on the preferences of the jury members and spectators.
Among this year’s finalists, the French bakery Ô Petit Paris sought out both the prize for best baguette, judged by a selected jury, and the Public’s Choice award, which they had never won before. The jury consisted of seven gastronomy professionals: Ronan Ulliac, Geneviève O’Gleman de Savourer, Tommy Dion, Alexis Boulianne, Sophie Ginoux, Arsène Tchesnov and Julien Catala.
On the night of the event, spectators and jury members tasted different breads, baguettes and other creations by the contestants. Spectators voted for their favourite baguette for the Public’s Choice Award. Jury members awarded a selection of prestigious prizes, including the Grand Prix of the Best Baguette in Montreal.
Louna Fouquet, a French expatriate, said the event is quite important for the French community in Montreal.
“I think that this kind of event helps the perpetuation of French culture in Montreal because it allows Montrealers to discover our culture,” Fouquet said. “It even allows a lot of French people from Montreal and elsewhere to meet and form a kind of network and create connections between one another.”
Serving as a meeting point for all baked goods lovers, the contest showcased the skill and creativity of Montreal’s bakers and provided a platform for the community to come together and celebrate their shared love for artisanal bread.
With the hope of connecting with their clientele and eventually winning the Public’s Choice Award for their proposed baguettes and other products, Ô Petit Paris gave their best.
“As of today, there is no competition in the rest of the country so, for us, it is still the biggest reward on the market, so it’s a bit like our own World Championships,” Maxime said.
Ô Petit Paris, Best Baguette winner of the 2022 edition, won four prizes this year. The prizes awarded by the public included that of Best Table Presentation and the long-awaited Best Baguette award. As for the ones awarded by jury members, they included Best Special Bread and the second prize for the Best Baguette Grand Prix.
