Winner of the Best Baguette Award shares tips with Table by Taru

Lake Lodge, in Colombo, welcomed Tharshan Selverajah - the winner of ‘Grand Prix de la Baguette de Traditional Francaise de la Ville De Paris, 2023’ - to their kitchen to share his knowledge with their chefs on how to make the perfect loaf of bread and cakes.

Le Pain de Tharshan’s Au Levain des Pyrénées bakery was the winner among 175 competitors who submitted their baguettes for the 30th annual 'Grand Prix de la Baguette de Traditional Française de la Ville De Paris', a prestigious yearly competition in Paris for the makers of the iconic French bread.

Having migrated to France in his early twenties, Tharshan did not have any prior culinary or baking experience. In 2009 he started working at Au Levain des Pyrénées bakery that he currently owns. Previously in 2018, his bakery won third place in the competition.

Tharshan’s award-winning baguette captivated the taste buds of  chefs and critics alike and he has a one-year contract to supply baguettes to the Élysée Palace, the residence of the French President.

Tharshan assessed the bread made at Table by Taru and was impressed with the eagerness of the team to learn the art of baking with the many ‘tips’ he shared to improve their skills for the perfect balance of crust and softness for their renowned ‘dinner rolls’.

Lake Lodge is a city boutique hotel with ten well-appointed rooms with its restaurant, Table by Taru, a space that celebrates food and privacy with Sri Lankan hospitality.