Shanghai Young Bakers celebrate la Fête du Pain
海上青焙坊庆祝法国面包节
After competing at the World Bakery Cup in Paris last February as part of the Chinese team, Zhang Zhenghai is looking forward to attend another most celebrated event among professional bakers: la Fête du Pain (Bread Festival)! Fête du Pain was founded in 1995 and aims to gather professionals and passionates of French bread throughout France. It has also spread internationally and will be celebrated in Shanghai for the 6th consecutive year.
In addition of being an amazing event for professional bakers in Shanghai, it is also with very much excitement that Shanghai Young Bakers (SYB) is taking part into the celebration. Shanghai Young Bakers is a charity program providing free training in French bakery and pastry to marginalized Chinese youth aged from 17 to 23, enabling them to find qualified jobs and lead independent lives after graduation. La Fête du Pain is for us the proof of the international recognition of the bakery skill, a very well-respected art worldwide and often undervalued by the youth we are helping, before they join our program.
烘焙世界杯在今年2月份圆满落幕后，代表中国队参赛的张政海一直期待着烘焙行业的另一个重要活动：la Fête du Pain (法国面包节)！法国面包节始于1995年，旨在促进法国专业烘焙人士与爱好者之间的的交流，它同样在国际范围内得到传播，法国面包节至今已落沪6年，成为中法两国烘焙业交流的平台。
法国面包节不仅对于专业烘焙师是一场行业盛典，海上青焙坊也十分荣幸能够参与到庆祝活动中。海上青焙坊是一个免费教授中国贫困青少年制作法式传统面包和甜点的公益组织。通过提供烘焙技术训练，使得他们可以在毕业后找到合适的工作并自力更生。法国面包节对于我们来说代表着国际烘焙业对我们技能的认可，法式烘焙手艺在国际上是一种享有盛誉的手工艺术，然而对于我们帮助的青年人来说，在加入到青焙坊之前，烘焙的影响与魅力往往并不被他们所知。
Zhang Zhenghai himself, never could have guessed that French bakery would take him that far, when he joined the SYB program as one of the first students in 2009.
In 2009, SYB launched its first pilot training: that was the first time Zhang Zhenghai stepped foot into the big city of Shanghai and also the first time he entered the fascinating world of baking. Born in a small village near Baoji in Shaanxi province, where the villagers grow many different kinds of fruits and vegetables, Pierre has always been very proud of where he comes from. Despite the beautiful surroundings, life had not been easy while growing up and his family was facing financial difficulties, thus at a young age he decided to not continue his studies and started working at a factory. This is when, Children of Madaifu, one of SYB’s first partner NGOs, told him about the launch of Shanghai Young Bakers’ training program and the opportunity for him to learn a valuable skill.
After graduating from SYB in 2010, Zhang Zhenghai was selected by SYB to study at the prestigious Ecole Française de Boulangerie et Pâtisserie d’Aurillac (EFBPA), founded by MOF Christian Vabret, and thus learnt French at the Alliance Française of Shanghai prior to his studies in France. Zhang Zhenghai successfully graduated from the French CAP diploma in 2011 and taught the art of French bakery to four batches of Young Bakers. Zhang Zhenghai’s passion took him even further: in May 2015, he placed first in the baguette and special breads category in the China edition of the Louis Lesaffre Cup Bakery Competition and, in November 2015, Zhang Zhenghai and his two team members represented China at the Asia-wide bakery competition in Indonesia. Their impressive results qualified them to compete at the World Bakery Cup in Paris in February 2016, where they placed 4th!
2009年，海上青焙坊启动首届烘焙培训实验班：那是张政海第一次来到大上海，开始接触引人入胜的烘焙世界。他出生在陕西省宝鸡市的一个小村庄，蔬果种植业是当地人的经济来源。张政海一直为家乡感到自豪。然而家乡风景虽然优美，但当地的生活却并不容易。因家里条件困难，他年纪轻轻就决定辍学到工厂打工。而此时，他正巧从海上青焙坊最初的合作非盈利机构之一，马大夫之家得知海上青焙坊的培训计划，一个能让他学习一项实用技能的机会就这样来到他面前。
张政海在2010年从海上青焙坊毕业以后，被选拔赴奥里亚克烘焙学校(EFBPA)进修。EFBPA是由法国最佳面点师Christain Vabret 创办的法国最著名的烘焙学校之一。张政海也同样在法语联盟接受了一年的法语培训为法国的学习做准备。2011年他考取法国CAP专业技能合格证书，顺利毕业后回到海上青焙坊任教，一教就是四批学员；而他对烘焙的热情让他并不止步于此，2015年5月，他在路易乐斯福杯中国赛区斩获法棍组第一名，十一月，张政海和另两名中国代表选手前往印尼参加了烘焙世界杯亚太区选拔赛，并拔得头筹。凭借着优秀的成绩，他们代表中国参加了今年二月在巴黎举行的烘焙世界杯，并取得了第四名的历史最好成绩！
A few months later, Zhang Zhenghai is now the Bakery Technical Director at SYB and has been consulting with a number of both amateur and professional bakers to help them learn and develop new skills or professional recipes, trough 4-day professional trainings and Master classes. Like each of the SYB teachers, Zhang Zhenghai has not only adhered to SYB’s social mission, through teaching disadvantaged Chinese youth a skill they will be able to use for a lifetime, he has also proven one can develop his full potential when given the right tools and support. His expertise and dedication to transmitting his skill and passion have been very much appreciated by the participants and has won him wide recognition throughout China.
For Zhang Zhenghai, La Fête du Pain wasalso the chance to meet again his former teacher, MOF Baker Christian Vabret, whom in addition of his support to Shanghai Young Bakers just started a partnership with L’Arôme Institute. In their welcoming speech, Christian Vabret and the French Consul of Shanghai M. Axel Cruau himself, paid a special tribute to Shanghai Young Bakers and in particular to its teachers (who were all trained at EFBPA) for their excellent work in promoting French bakery in China through the training of disadvantaged youth, and we were extremely honored that both of them mentioned their support to Shanghai Young Bakers during their welcoming speech, highlighting the work that the SYB teachers have been doing to promote French bakery in China. This year the event was held at L’Arôme Institute, which recently hired two young graduates from the EFBPA (Ecole de Boulangerie et Pâtisserie d’Aurillac), classmates of SYB bakery teacher Zhang Shuai, graduated in June 2015.
张政海现在已是海上青焙坊的烘焙技术总监，同时他也为一些业余及专业的面包师提供咨询，并通过开设为期4天的专业法式烘焙培训和烘焙大师班帮助他们提升技能、开发新配方。
和每一位海上青焙坊的培训师一样，张政海始终坚守海上青焙坊的社会使命，将一项终生受用的技能传授给中国出身贫困的年轻人。他的经历还证明了人的潜力一旦得到适当的工具和支持，可以淋漓尽致地发挥。他的专业技能和他对把自己技艺传递下去的热情感染了很多学员，也为他在中国赢得了广泛的认可。
对于张政海来说，法国面包节也同样是一个再次见到他曾经的老师，法国最佳面点师Christain Vabret的契机。Vabret先生在支持海上青焙坊之余，也与乐逢法国厨艺学院建立了伙伴关系。今年的法国面包节于乐逢法国厨艺学院举办，Vabret先生今年将以荣誉嘉宾的身份出席。在开幕致辞中，Vabret先生和法国驻沪总领事Axel Cruau先生均致意海上青焙坊，尤其是海上青焙坊老师们（均毕业于奥里亚克烘焙学校）通过向贫困青年传授烘焙知识，推进法式烘焙在中国发展而做出的贡献。听到二位致辞中均提及对海上青焙坊的支持，及我们的老师为法式烘焙的推广做出的努力，我们感到十分荣幸。乐逢厨艺学院不久前也招聘了两位EFBPA烘焙学校 2015年6月的毕业生，二位毕业生也是海上青焙坊培训师张帅的同窗同学。
MOF Christian Vabret, about Shanghai Young Bakers:
“Lastly, we would like to express our gratitude to Shang Young Bakers and EFBPA for their collaboration. The SYB training program has provided more young people with the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful industry.”
M Alex Cruau, Consul Général, about SYB:
“Three young bakers from the SYB program were awarded the prestigious EFPBA diplomas, they were actually the very first group of Chinese bakers to be trained at Mr. Christian Vabret’s school. Now working as trainers themselves at Shanghai Young Bakers and as they are here with us today, I would like to thank them, especially for their catering services for the events for the French Consulate in Shanghai, and for continuing to empower more students with your knowledge of French bakery and pastry!
Thanks to MOF Christian Vabret, as well as all the actors of the French bakery in China and the professional passionate bakers such as the SYB trainers, French bread has become more and more appreciated throughout the country, attracting many individuals to learn more about this symbol of French culture!
法国最佳面点师Christain Vabret:
“最后也要感谢海上青焙坊和法国奥里亚克烘焙学校合作，他们的培训项目使得更多的年轻人有机会参与到这个美好的行业中来。”
先生和法国驻沪总领事Axel Cruau先生:
“三位海上青焙坊的学员曾于法国奥里亚克烘焙学校学习，并获得了贵校的毕业证书，这是首批在Christian Vabret先生的学校接受培训的中国人，他们目前在公益组织海上青焙坊任教，他们今晚也出席了活动。我也非常感谢你们，不仅多次负责领馆活动的甜点和迷你西点的供应，更感谢你们将你们的知识传授给中国贫困青年做出的努力。”
感谢法国最佳面点师Christain Vabret，所有中国法式烘焙行业人士，和众多像海上青焙坊培训师一样专业热忱的烘焙师，法式面包在中国受到越老越多人的喜爱，并吸引着越来越多的人来学习这个法国文化的象征。