“We really hope to bring home the victory!”: behind the scenes of the success of the small bakery from Gard, crowned this Friday evening on M6

Thibaut Combe et Guillaume Mahoudeau, un duo de boulanger en route vers la grande finale. Midi Libre – Pierre Meuriot

L’établissement garonnais Au paradis des gourmands savoure son succès avant de se plonger dans la grande finale de l’émission télé de M6 La meilleure boulangerie de France en mai prochain.

The small Garonne bakery Au paradis des Gourmands made headlines this Friday, January 10, by winning the regional final of the show La meilleure boulangerie de France on M6. On this Saturday morning, the day after qualifying for the grand final, the Gard establishment is always full. At around 11 o'clock, the queue stretches out into the street, proof that the show's success has well and truly extended beyond the screen.

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A victorious duo and a record queue

Customers, eager to taste the famous recipes seen on TV, invade the bakery, eager to savor the bull chorizo ​​bread, corn bread, thyme and black olive pavlova, the Nîmes sandwich with breaded Nîmes brandade or even the “Pera”, a winter variation of their apricot-based dessert, specially concocted during the jury's challenge.

In the kitchen, Thibaut Combe and Guillaume Mahoudeau, the two star bakers, are on cloud nine. “It was a great experience”, confides Thibaut, all smiles. “There was a lot of relaxation on the set despite the stakes”, remembers Guillaume, dressed in his black apron, while customers continue to gather in front of the establishment and congratulate the victorious duo.

“We hoped to win, of course”

If the atmosphere was relaxed when welcoming the M6 ​​cameras on July 4, the preparation itself left nothing to chance. “We prepared for two and a half months. The jury's challenge, which consists of making a set recipe in two hours, we practiced it regularly. Every week”, explains Thibaut.

And when the two friends learned that they had qualified for the grand finale, it was a general surprise. “We hoped to win, of course, but without really knowing what our competitors were going to offer. We learned the results on July 6, it was a great moment,” recalls Guillaume.

Towards the grand finale

But the Au paradis des Gourmands bakery is not just the result of a television competition. It's a family story. “This is my parents' bakery, reveals Thibaut. I learned my trade here before leaving for a few years and coming back. Guillaume and I were hired on the same day (a certain October 1, 2018, Editor's note). And since then, we've never left each other”, he jokes.

While the bakery is enjoying this spotlight, the two bakers are already looking ahead to the grand finale that will be held in Paris in May. “We really hope to bring home the victory! But until then, we'll continue to learn from the MOF (Best Craftsmen) of France, Editor's note) and to perfect our recipes”. The appointment is made.

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