It was a first for French Morning and Frenchly, organizers of the Best Baguette and Best Croissant competitions across the USA for the past ten years. On Sunday March 23, some 600 visitors came to taste the creations of the seven bakeries that were finalists in this competition organized for the first time in Seattle: The French Guys, Le Panier, Grand Central , Petit Pierre, Cake Meet Me, Rila Bakery, and L’Experience Paris.
Co-organized with France Education North West and the French American Chamber of Commerce Pacific Northwest, this double final took place as part of the 13th edition of Seattle’s French Fest, at the Seattle Center Armory. At the heart of the event was a jury of professionals and personalities, who had the difficult task of tasting croissants and baguettes, blind: Florian Cardinaux, Consul General of France in San Francisco, William Leaman, jury president and owner of Bakery Nouveau, John Sundstrom, chef and owner of Lark, Didier Poirier, President of French Education Northwest, and Pénélope Souquet, Director of Admissions at the French American School of Puget Sound.
Nina Fang: novice wins Best Croissant
A multi-award-winning baker himself, and a great American advocate of traditional “boulange” à la française, William Leaman couldn’t believe his taste buds. “The croissants were, for the most part, of the highest quality, and I’m very proud to see the level my colleagues in Seattle are now reaching”, he declared. The battle was therefore close, and the result unexpected: the Grand Prix for Seattle’s Best Croissant went to a newcomer to the local scene, whose store has been open for less than a year, Bellevue’s Cake Meet Me. The screams that erupted when the verdict was announced speak volumes about the joy of the family, all gathered around owner Nina Fang. “I started baking at home, for my family and friends; then, as orders came in, I started doing it professionally”, she says on stage. Last year, she opened her own boutique, “thanks to my love of a job well done – I’m a perfectionist”, she confides. And at the cost of many hours in the bakery, say her daughters beside her: “she didn’t sleep last night making the croissants…”.
On the baguette side, experience pays off…
If the jury chose – unknowingly, since it was blind – a novice for the croissant, it decided in favor of… experience on the baguette side. The Grand Prix for Best Baguette went to l’Expérience Paris. Julien Hervet, owner of this mini-chain of East-Side establishments, also took the prize for Best Baguette.
Last but not least, innovation was also in the spotlight, with the Best Original Creation award going to Le Panier, winner thanks to its creamy, mango-flavored patisserie, which won over the jury.
The winners
Jury awards :
- Grand Prix Best Croissant : Cake Meet Me
- Grand Prix Best Baguette: L’Experience Paris
- Best Original Creation: Le Panier
People’s Choice Awards :
- Best Croissant : L’Experience Paris
- Best Baguette: The French Guys
The 2025 edition of Seattle’s Best Baguette and Best Croissant competition was sponsored by Moulins Bourgeois and Beurremont.
