Meet the Candidate: Chef Mark Freischmidt Competes as Chocolate Candidate in 2025 Club Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie Team USA National Selection

By ChuckM

Chef Mark Freischmidt has spent nearly three decades in professional kitchens, building a pastry career grounded in operational excellence, artistic precision and strong team leadership. He is now competing as one of the chocolate candidates in the 2025 Club Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie Team USA National Selection — the first step toward potentially representing the United States on one of pastry’s most prestigious international stages.

Meet the Candidate: The Tao of Pastry: How Chef Nicholas Forte Became a U.S. Tasting Candidate for the 2025 U.S. National Selection

By ChuckM

When Chef Nicholas Forte first stepped into a professional kitchen, he wasn’t chasing Michelin stars or sugar showpieces. He was pursuing a career in sports medicine. A kinesiology student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Forte was headed for a life of rehab and recovery — not ramekins and roulades. But fate, and perhaps a bit of flour, had other plans.

Meet the Candidate: Chef François Behuet Returns as a Chocolate Candidate for 2025 U.S. National Pastry Selection

By ChuckM

Chef François Behuet, a seasoned pastry chef with over two decades of experience, has been announced as one of the chocolate candidates for the 2025 U.S. National Selection for the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie. Previously he represented the United States as the chocolate candidate on the 2023 U.S. Team at the the 2023 competition held in Lyon, France.