The 14th Yule Log Competition was held at One Monte-Carlo on 21 November. Organized by the Société des Bains de Mer (SBM), five establishments competed in the friendly contest. Each team created a dessert under the theme of “Christmas Melodies.”
“Originality and technical skill are the qualities that the pastry teams competing in the Monte-Carlo SBM’s Yule Log Competition must demonstrate each year,” said the SBM in a recent press release.
Participants included the Thermes Marins, the Café de Paris, the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, the Hôtel Hermitage, and Pôle Sucré.
“Judged on the visual appeal, taste, and texture of their creations, as well as an oral presentation, the contestants had to consider an additional criterion this year: the possibility of adapting the Yule log into individual cakes,” said the SBM.
The pastry chefs beautifully rose up to the challenge. Thermes Marins presented their “Riviera Symphony” creation, Café de Paris its “Magic of Bells in Monte Carlo,” Pôle Sucré its “Fairy Sleigh,” Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo its “Enchanted Carillon,” and Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo created “My Beautiful Christmas Tree.“
After a blind tasting and evaluation by the jury (composed of chefs, members of the Executive Committee, clients of the Société des Bains de Mer, journalists, and chaired by Albert Manzone, CEO of the SBM Group) the grand prize winner was finally chosen.
Pôle Sucré’s the “Fairy Sleigh” (“Traineau Féérique”) entry, created by Léo Scherer, Pastry Sous-Chef, won over the jury with its hazelnut crunch topped with vanilla rice pudding, Corsican clementine marmalade, and finished with a hazelnut whipped ganache covering a clementine and yuzu marshmallow insert.
“The Fairy Sleigh Yule log is an invitation to savour the magic of the holidays as one would listen to a piece of music: each flavour, each texture composes a different note, uniting in a gourmet and enchanting harmony… A chocolate sleigh, adorned with arabesque lines and a delicately inscribed ‘Merry Christmas’ symbolizes Santa’s journey through the starry night,” explained the Pôle Sucré.
As is tradition, the winning creation will be the SBM’s official 2025 Christmas log. It will be available on the menu at select establishments and for takeaway, along with other festive sweet treats at Mada One and in the glass-roofed atrium on Avenue de Monte-Carlo, starting on 8 December.
