The Moroccan team, comprising the duo of Mohamed Lamraoui and Omar Eddib, were crowned African champions after 10 hours of competition, followed by Mauritius and Tunisia, who took second and third place respectively.
Placed under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, this prestigious competition, initiated by Rahal Events, brought together eight teams representing Morocco, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Mauritius, Senegal and Tunisia.
The three winning teams, who dazzled the taste buds of the competition's international jury, have won tickets to represent their countries at the World Pastry Cup, to be held at the prestigious SIRHA trade show in Lyon in 2025.
“Today, everyone is aware that Morocco has carved out a great place for itself in the world of patisserie”, said president of the competition’s jury, Frenchman Jean-Jacques Borne, at the end of the prize-giving ceremony.
In a statement to MAP, the famous French pastry chef noted that the Kingdom has made giant strides in pastry-making, particularly in recent years, saying he was “looking forward to accompanying the Moroccan team to the 2025 World Pastry Cup in Lyon”.
For their part, Mohamed Lamraoui and Omar Eddib expressed their delight at this African triumph. “We share this joy with all Moroccans. It's an honor to represent Morocco and to hoist the national flag,” they stressed.
“Congratulations to Morocco. Today we won the Africa Pastry Cup, yesterday we won the Bocuse d'Or Africa (...) These two prizes are recognition of the creativity, commitment and technical mastery of Moroccan chefs”, said Kamal Rahal Essoulami, managing director of Rahal Events and chairman of TOC Afrique.
At the ceremony, which took place in the presence of Farid Chourak, wali of the Marrakech-Safi region and governor of the Marrakech prefecture, Rahal Essoulami announced the Rahal Events Group's commitment to welcoming candidates from the African teams who took part in TOC Afrique for training sessions in the Rahal Group's kitchens.
Morocco won, on Thursday, the 2024 edition of the Bocuse d'Or Afrique, another prestigious culinary competition held as part of TOC Afrique. The Moroccan team took the prize after 5 hours and 35 minutes of competition, followed by Mauritius and Egypt.