By Michaella Lesieur, Staff Writer
Have you ever wanted to learn how to make fresh baked bread and the melt in your mouth macaroons? The Boivin Center for French Language and Culture is kicking off their program for the Spring semester with a real treat.
On Friday April 27, 2018 the center will be hosting “The Art of Bread Baking with Ciril Hitz.” The event will take place in the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s Marketplace in the Café. From 4:30 p.m.to 6:00 p.m. students will enjoy a baking demonstration and food tasting for twenty-dollars. There will also be a cash wine bar for those twenty-one and up.
Students will learn how to shape breads, make delicate and crisp French macaroons. and for the food-lovers, samples will be given out to all that participate. Reservations are required, so be sure to reserve a spot a head of time.
Director of the Boivin Center Melvin Yoken believes all students should participate in the event. “French cooking or cuisine francaise is a fascinating and noble art, and the more students know about it, the better,” he said. “General knowledge about French cuisine, which include bread, has contributed greatly to Western cuisines. And, objectively, there is truly nothing quite like the taste of freshly baked croissants, brioches and baguettes.”
This is not the first time the French department has brought a celebrity chef to UMass Dartmouth. Legendary chef Julia Child previously made their appearance and taught tips and tricks to the craft of food. “I have been director of The Boivin Center for nearly 20 years, and, during this time, I have brought a number of world-famous French chefs to the university, including such gastronomical luminaries as Julia Child, Jacques Pepin and Pierre Thiam,” said Yoken.
“At each of these important events, students have attended and have become acquainted with unique French foods and ingredients that they have been able to use in their own cooking. The tradition will surely continue with Ciril Hitz.”
Ciril Hitz, a Switzerland native, is a man of many talents seeing that he shares the passion of both cooking and teaching. Hitz is a full-time instructor at the International Baking and Pastry Institute at Johnson and Whales University.
The celebrity chef has won multiple awards including a silver medal in the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie, in Paris in 2002. Hitz participated in the National Bread and Pastry Team Championship, as he cleaned the house and took home first prize along with three other individual bread awards.
Hitz is not new in making guest appearances. He has been an instructor and expert at multiple international and national events along with special appearances at schools.
Most notably Hitz’s work has been featured on famous outlets such as Food Network, The Today’s Show, and Cioa Italia. He is also a part of the Bread Bakers Guild of America.
What not many people know is that Hitz also participated in an apprenticeship in Switzerland after his graduation. This included three years of working with pasty and chocolate. His craft and art in the industry is immaculate and a true art to the industry.
For those looking for more information you can contact Maria Sanguinetti at msanguinetti@umassd.edu or 508-991-5096.