King Arthur Baking Company Joins Pastry Team USA as a Bronze Partner – Journey to Lyon Continues

By ChuckM

Club Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie Team USA has gained a venerable new ally on its road to the 2027 Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie: King Arthur Baking Company, the 235-year-old, employee-owned flour producer based in Norwich, Vermont. The organization announced that King Arthur Baking Company has signed on as a bronze-level partner, as America’s top pastry chefs prepare for a competitive schedule that begins with the 2025 National Selection in Chicago.

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.