We Could All Learn from the French

For a suburban Aussie baker, I’ve been very fortunate throughout the last 10 years to have some of the most amazing experiences of my life through baking and travel.

I regularly still find myself wondering if it’s all a dream and I’ll wake up standing at the oven with the timer going off.

It’s a long way from our little bakery in the suburbs of Brisbane to the bright lights and heady aromas of Paris and freshly baked baguettes, but it’s always a wonderful learning experience we could all learn from the French , and I find myself with renewed vigour and passion for food and the baking trade.

One of the hardest things, though, is coming home. Don’t get me wrong, this is the lucky country and I’d rather be here any day. No, it’s the disappointment I get from the lack of respect in general for our trades and our achievements in anything other than sport on the international stage. The media in Australia are fixated on the negative and the sensationalising of adolescent behaviour by people who should know better.

I keep saying the same thing – stop making stupid people famous!

In contrast, I really love the way the French and, in many cases, the Europeans have respect for their craft made food, and the way they respect, and recognise their tradespeople. The French MOF (Meilleurs Ouvriers de France) system is a great example of this recognition. It recognises elite skill and knowledge across all trades in France. It’s not just a title, it is “The Title”, respected the world over, but it’s more than just about skill and knowledge – it’s an attitude.

One of the highlights of this European trip and European show for me was to again be invited to be one of only seven jury members for the 2016 Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie, an opportunity to see firsthand the best teams from each region of the world compete for the title of World Champions. After four days of hectic competition and only nine hours’ sleep for the jury, South Korea placed first, followed by Taiwan and then France.

On day three of the competition, around midmorning, we were asked to be ready for a VIP visitor. Everything was very secretive and we would be told last minute as to who it was. Sure enough, we were hurriedly lined up and were told that in about five minutes the French President would be coming through to meet the jury. I was very excited and honoured by this opportunity. Upon meeting him, he took the time to ask where I was from and seemed very excited to have Australia represented as part of the event. He thanked me for the job we were doing and wished us well, We Could All Learn from the French.

What struck me the most afterward was the difference between that experience and the likelihood of it happening in Australia to a baker. I don’t think there is any recent past or present prime minister that would see value in going and shaking hands with a group of bakers. It just highlighted the different value base they put on their food and their trades.

In every issue we have a role to play, a part in either the positive or negative outcome to a situation, and I must take this opportunity to say that we as an industry have had a role in this lack of respect for baking and bakers by both the media and the public. We need to be proud of who we are and what we do. We must present ourselves as though we have pride and respect for what we do and, most importantly, keep an eye on our part in that good old national sport we love to play – the tall poppy syndrome.

After all, it’s hard to build up what we do when we spend so much time tearing each other down.