America The Beau

摘要

With the conspicuous absence of the defending champions from the 2006 world competition, Team France, the United States bested eight other teams to win for the third time in the past four competitions.rnThe competition, held in Nashville, Tenn., Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, 2008, took the theme of "Imagination," and included teams from Belgium, China, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, and Switzerland. The United States was represented by team captain Laurant Branlard, executive pastry chef for Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel, Orlando, Fla.; Stephane Treand, executive pastry chef for St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach, Calif.; and Dimitri Fayard, Owner of Vanille Patisserie, Chicago, III.rnFor the second consecutive competition, Team Japan placed second, while Team Switzerland edged Team Italy for third place by just eight-tenths of a point.