Following the overwhelming success of the first event in October 2023, the second Championnat du Monde de la Frite (World French Fries Championships) took place in Arras, Northern France, on Saturday 28 September 2024. This year’s event included two new categories in the competition involving restaurant professionals and amateur chefs: ‘global fries’, creating a worldwide celebration of chips, and ‘fries of promise’, reserved for students from hotel management schools.
The second mouthwatering one-day French Fries World Championships was open to the public with free admission and held on Arras’ central square, the Grand’Place. Pre-selected candidates from the Hauts-de-France region and from further afield faced off in six categories: authentic fries (those traditionally prepared and eaten in the north of France and Belgium); family fries (as prepared and eaten in household conditions); creative fries (using an original recipe relating to shape or cooking method); global fries (as eaten in the country they represent, accompanied by other foods if needed); fries of promise (made by hospitality students accompanied by their teacher); and fry sauce of the year (one hot and one cold sauce, made using unprocessed ingredients).
Each candidate was required to prepare 1.5kg of fries or 1.5 litres of sauce in one hour and 10 minutes (including preparation time) and present the jury with six small portions in serving trays supplied by the organiser. They had 90 seconds to describe the various stages leading up to the finished product and tempt the jury to try their creations. A jury made up of professionals and chip lovers, chaired by chef Florent Ladeyn, decided the winners. For this second festival, chef Alexandre Gauthier was the Championship patron, while author and food critic François-Régis Gaudry returned following his sponsorship of last year’s event. The winner of each category was awarded a specially-designed trophy and a prize of €400.
The 2024 winners were:
Authentic Fries (Pro): Alexandre Laigo, Angers @bademtartare
Creative Fries (Pro): Laurent Fouache, Hénin-Beaumont
Family Fries (Amateur): Annie Breisacher, Noyelles-les-Seclin
Cold Sauce of the Year (Pro): Édouard Chouteau, Lambersart @la_laiterie_lambersart
Hot Sauce of the Year (Pro): Alexandre Blondiaux, Belgique
Global Fries (Pro): Jorit Gras, Stockholm, Sweden @pomfriterie
Fries of Promise (Student): Caroline Symzac, Tilloy-les Mofflaines, Campus agro-environnemental
Two podiums were set up on the Grand’Place to welcome the competitors, offering visitors a front-row seat to admire the techniques and trade secrets of both amateur and professionals. They were able to sample the creations from partner French fry stands, meet local producers and enjoy some excellent local craft beers in a fun and lively atmosphere, at the heart of French Fry Village. To work it all off, there was even a potato sack race. Live music and entertainment further enhanced this jam-packed day at the heart of the Artois capital.
Arras and fries: the origin story
Reached in just two hours by train from London, the town of Arras in Pas-de-Calais has shared a history with our favourite fried potato since the 16th century. The French fries we know today might never have existed were it not for the tenacity of a Renaissance botanist, Charles de l’Écluse, born in Arras in 1526. Long before the famous Parmentier, de l’Écluse made great efforts to grow the then little-known plant from Peru in his experimental gardens, hoping to make them popular with the great European lords. The Pays d’Artois seems to be ‘at the root’ of the advent of fries as we know them today. There are now some 1,400 French fry stalls throughout France – 55% of which can be found in the Hauts-de-France region.
ARRAS’ TOP 10 FRITERIES (CHIP SHOPS)
- Le Roi de la Frite – Avenue Winston Churchill
- Les Friteries du Beffroi – 42 Boulevard Carnot
- La Friterie du Carnot – 24 Boulevard Carnot
- La Friterie du Rietz – 67 Rue de Cambrai
- Aux Saveurs du Nord – 125 Rue de Cambrai
- Ch’tio Friteu – 142 Rue de Cambrai
- La Friterie Arrageoise – 3 Rue de la Taillerie
- Friterie Queen Tacos – 39 Place des Héros
- Friterie Meunier – 1 Rue des Balances
- Au Ch’ti Creux – Avenue Kennedy
Further information
Visit the Championships site
Follow the Championships on Instagram
Read about the 2023 event
Browse the ‘Arras Essentials’ press kit
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