Team USA at the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie 2027
Qualification path to Lyon 2027
Selected during the U.S. National Selection held in Chicago (United States) in September 2025, Team USA follows a highly demanding qualification process leading to the Sirha Lyon World Final in January 2027. Prior to this milestone, the chefs will compete at the Americas Continental Selection in New Orleans, a decisive step toward securing a place at the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie. Composed of specialists in sugar, chocolate, and frozen desserts, and supported by the Club Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie Team USA, the American team builds on strong international competition experience and a historical track record marked by multiple world‑class podium finishes.
Three profiles, one shared standard of excellence :
Behind this performance stand four distinct talents, each with a strong identity:
François Behuet
Chocolate specialist
Nicholas Forte
Ice cream specialist
Jordan Snider
Sugar specialist & Team captain
Sarah Helzer
Team Alternate
François Behuet, chocolate specialist
At fourteen years old in Caen, France, Chef François Behuet made a clear decision to dedicate himself to pastry, not only to master traditional techniques but to elevate them through precision and artistry. That early commitment shaped a career spanning more than two decades across France, New York, and Los Angeles, with chocolate at the heart of his work.
After beginning his career in France, he moved to New York, where he served as Executive Chef Chocolatier at François Payard Bakery and later as Executive Pastry Chef at Petrossian, contributing to daily production as well as seasonal product development. In Los Angeles, his career continued to grow with roles at Bottega Louie, where he managed a pastry team of 45 and large‑scale production, followed by a position at Pendry West Hollywood alongside Wolfgang Puck. He currently serves as Executive Pastry Chef at The Ritz‑Carlton and JW Marriott L.A. LIVE, overseeing a complex, multi‑venue pastry operation.
In competition, Chef Behuet has represented the United States at the highest level. A finalist at the 2017 U.S. Pastry Competition, he participated in the 2019 Pastry Team USA tryouts and served as Chocolate Candidate for Team USA at the 2023 Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie in Lyon. In 2022, he contributed to the team’s silver medal at the Americas Continental Selection in Santiago, Chile.
Deeply committed to education, Chef Behuet leads bi‑monthly Chocolate Master Classes and has spoken at major industry events, including the Salon du Chocolat in Paris and the Omnivore Food Festival. Fluent in French and English, with working knowledge of Spanish, he brings together European technical rigor and contemporary American pastry creativity in every aspect of his work.
Nicholas Forte, Ice cream specialist
After beginning university studies in kinesiology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Chef Nicholas Forte quickly realized his creativity belonged in the kitchen. He enrolled in the L’Art de la Pâtisserie program at The French Pastry School in Chicago, training under leading figures such as Sébastien Canonne M.O.F., Jacquy Pfeiffer, Patrice Caillot, Jonathan Dendauw, and En‑Ming Hsu. The program’s focus on laminated doughs, sugar showpieces, and plated desserts provided him with the technical foundation and artistic confidence to pursue a career at the highest level.
Graduating with honors, Chef Forte joined Joël Robuchon’s three‑Michelin‑starred restaurant in Las Vegas, where precision and refinement in plated desserts and mignardises set uncompromising standards. He went on to hold roles at Encore Boston Harbor, Brezza, Bar Zazu, and Jean‑Marie Auboine Chocolatier, expanding his expertise in bonbon production, chocolate bars, and fine confectionery. In 2021, he was appointed Corporate Pastry Chef for Tao Group Hospitality (West Coast), overseeing menu development, recipe creation, team mentorship, and multi‑property rollouts.
Chef Forte’s philosophy places flavor as the foundation of every dessert, with technique always serving taste. Drawing inspiration from memory and personal experience, his work balances refinement and creativity—from a Viennetta‑inspired vanilla dessert at LAVO West Hollywood to thoughtfully crafted celebratory cakes. Known for both precision and mentorship, he is deeply committed to building kitchen cultures that support and challenge the next generation of pastry chefs.
Jordan Snider, Sugar specialist & team captain
Chef Jordan Snider has built his career in some of the most operationally demanding pastry environments in the United States, consistently thriving in high‑expectation settings. He is currently Executive Pastry Chef at The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina, a Forbes Triple Five‑Star property, where he leads a large pastry operation spanning restaurants, retail outlets, ice cream production, poolside dining, and expansive banquet programs.
Alongside daily operations, Chef Snider oversees a quarterly pastry internship program focused on identifying and mentoring emerging talent, reflecting his long‑standing commitment to the future of the profession.
Previously, he served as Executive Pastry Chef at Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego, another Forbes Triple Five‑Star destination, and developed his expertise in high‑volume, high‑precision pastry through roles at Mandalay Bay, Paris Las Vegas, Bally’s, Planet Hollywood, and Mandarin Oriental.
Chef Snider’s competition career is closely tied to Pastry Team USA. After joining the team as Alternate in 2019, he helped secure qualification for the 2023 Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie by earning a Silver Medal at the Americas Cup in Santiago, Chile, and went on to compete as Sugar Candidate at the 2023 World Final in Lyon, France. Appointed Team Captain for the 2027 Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie, he brings proven experience, leadership, and composure to the international stage.
Sarah Helzer, team alternate
Chef Sarah Helzer has built her career on the belief that great pastry is rooted in exceptional ingredients, strong technique, and genuine hospitality. Based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, she works as a pastry chef and consultant, creating bespoke menus for private clients and hospitality venues with a focus on petite pastries, dietary inclusivity, and locally sourced ingredients. Her consulting work spans kitchen planning, staff training, menu development, and large‑scale event execution.
Since 2022, Chef Helzer has served as Executive Pastry Chef for The Nomadic Table and Primrose, where she develops rotating seasonal menus, oversees daily production, and collaborates closely with sommeliers to create refined dessert and wine pairings. Prior to relocating to Colorado, she led the pastry program at Sauvage, a fine dining restaurant where she established a bread program from the ground up and developed tasting menus for private events.
Her classical training was solidified at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, under Executive Pastry Chef Jean‑François Suteau, where she gained extensive experience in entremets, chocolate and sugar showpieces, bonbons, petit gâteau, and pastillage. Following a rigorous live competition, she went on to serve as Assistant Executive Pastry Chef, managing a team of more than thirty and overseeing pastry production for large‑scale resort events.
Additional experience at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel strengthened her ability to perform in high‑volume environments without sacrificing precision or artistry. Known for both her technical rigor and collaborative leadership, Chef Helzer brings consistency, creativity, and discipline to every kitchen she leads.
Chef Stéphane Chéramy, President
Le chef Stéphane Chéramy est le président du Club Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie Team USA. Il conduit ainsi la stratégie visant à positionner les États‑Unis parmi les grandes nations de la pâtisserie mondiale. Fort de plus de 30 ans d’expérience entre la France et les États‑Unis, il associe vision stratégique, exigence technique et parfaite maîtrise des compétitions internationales.
Formé dans le sud de la France, il construit sa carrière dans l’hôtellerie de luxe. Il occupe des postes majeurs au Ritz‑Carlton Naples, au Bellagio à Las Vegas et au Ritz‑Carlton Sarasota. Depuis 2006, il est Executive Pastry Chef du Ritz‑Carlton et du JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes.
Entre 2006 et 2012, il préside également le Ritz‑Carlton Pastry Advisory Board – Global, contribuant à l’élaboration des standards culinaires du groupe.
Compétiteur reconnu, il remporte des médailles d’or et d’argent aux États‑Unis et en France. Il intervient aussi comme jury des sélections américaines de la Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie.
En tant que président de Pastry Team USA, il supervise la sélection des talents, la stratégie d’équipe et la préparation en vue de la finale de Lyon, tout en soutenant le développement durable de la pâtisserie américaine.
L'équipe de pâtisserie des USA × Les vergers Boiron
Le Club Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie – Pastry Team USA est fier de s’associer aux vergers Boiron, dont les produits font référence en matière de qualité, de régularité et de précision au sein de la communauté pâtissière internationale.
Partenaire officiel de la Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie en France et partenaire Silver de Pastry Team USA, Les vergers Boiron sont un acteur de confiance pour les chefs qui exigent une précision absolue dans chaque détail de leur travail. Ses purées de fruits professionnelles offrent une expression juste du fruit, une intensité aromatique maîtrisée ainsi qu’une fiabilité technique essentielle pour évoluer au plus haut niveau de la compétition internationale.
Pastry Team USA s’appuie sur les produits des vergers Boiron tout au long des phases d’entraînement et de préparation aux compétitions. Leur constance et leurs performances permettent aux chefs de réaliser des recettes complexes et des épreuves techniques avec précision et confiance, tout en favorisant créativité, équilibre et innovation.
Grâce à son engagement constant en faveur de la qualité et à sa compréhension approfondie des métiers de la pâtisserie, Les vergers Boiron sont bien plus qu’un fournisseur : ils sont un partenaire de performance. Pastry Team USA lui adresse ses sincères remerciements pour son soutien continu, alors que l’équipe se prépare à concourir parmi les meilleures nations pâtissières du monde, contribuant au rayonnement de la profession et à la célébration de l’art pâtissier sur la scène internationale.