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How to prepare an international pastry or ice cream team competition

Have you ever wondered how to get ready for an international pastry or ice cream team competition? We are lucky to have two colleagues at our school who have already experienced it: Jordi, of course, but also Lluc Dalmau - pastry instructor at Aula Jordi Bordas  and head pastry chef at Santacreu Viladecans. Lluc made his debut last January, participating in the 2020 Gelato World Cup  which, as every edition, was held during Sigep exhibition (Rimini, Italy).

The Spanish team was captained by Albert Soler https://www.artesanssoler.com/)  – Spain Ice Cream Champion, 2019. Under his guidance were  Albert Roca - Sant Croi patisserie (Barcelona) and twice Best Artisan Butter Croissant in Spain -, Mayte Rodríguez - sugar specialist -, Lluís Ribas - chemist and ice cream formulation expert – and our Lluc Dalmau.

The Spanish team was sixth of a total of eleven participants, right in the middle of the table, while Italy got the gold. The Spaniards presented a risky bet focused on magic that did not win but did serve them to learn and continue growing. An effort that is reflected in almost 150 meetings, more than 1000 hours of work and about 21,000 kilometers traveled, figures noted by the team members.

We wanted to transmit you all this experience closely, with Lluc and Jordi as protagonists. For this reason, a few days ago we did a live broadcast in which both of them answered your questions. Jordi's veteran vision - 4th in the Ice Cream World Cup 2008, 19th in the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie 2009, but World Pastry Champion just two years later -, counterbalanced with the novelty of Lluc. A two-way conversation in which you can glimpse the success achievable if you work hard and with clear objectives. You will find this video at the end of the post. In addition, they have summarized together the three phases in which they recommend to divide the preparation of this type of competitions.

Three phases to prepare an international pastry or ice cream team competition

- First stage: ORGANIZATION. Once team members are selected by competences, the priority should be selecting each one’s tasks and defining main goals, both global and individual. Also, it is necessary to collect ideas on the theme that will be used during the competition and analyze best practices. Eventually, a work calendar of the team as well as the individual members must be established.

- Second stage: CREATIVITY. It is time to set in motion ideas and plan both elaborations and artistic pieces.

- Third stage: WORK: According to the timings established by the competition management, it is necessary to specify both the order and who will carry out each elaboration. The training should be repeated as many times as possible in order to gain security, gesture speed and reduce execution times gradually.

When facing the moment of truth, team members have to be extremely  tidy, fast and clean. The ability to work individually and as a team, creativity, persistence , and organization are fundamental values in this kind of competition.

Jordi Bordas and Lluc Dalmau: their experience in international pastry and ice cream team competitions

We hope you found useful all these tips for your next team competition. And, you already know, if you want to learn more with Jordi, we invite you to take a look at our next courses.

Cover image: Lucia Grémont Photographe
Photos Ice Cream World Cup: Coppa del Mondo de la Gelateria

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