WorldSkills 2022: Old town confectioner enchants Switzerland
Anna Saurer measured herself against the best confectioners in the world at WorldSkills 2022. In Switzerland, the woman from Ausserfern, who works as a confectioner at the Innsbruck Café Katzung, has won a “Medallion for Excellence”.
INNSBRUCK. “I discovered my love for baking at an early age and finally turned my passion into a job,” says Anna Saurer. The fact that the young pastry chef lives her passion is also evident from her earnings: 1st place in the apprenticeship competition, both in the second and third year of apprenticeship, 1st place in the 2018 national apprenticeship competition, 1st place in AustrianSkills 2020.
Anna Saurer started in Lucerne, BezirksBlätter Reutte Post
everyday
Saurer goes about his day-to-day work at Café Katzung Dengg and has already sweetened many regular guests’ visits to the café with her creations. In preparation for Wordskills 22, she made several detours to her expert Veronika Schmidt at Café Central in Vienna. “I’m looking forward to getting to know confectioners from different nations and to facing this great challenge with them and myself,” said Saurer beforehand. The confectioner describes herself as a quiet person, but also as ambitious and goal-oriented. What she particularly likes about her job is that she can express her creativity.
Creativity required
This creativity was particularly in demand in Lucerne. A sugar display, two cakes, marzipan figures, a chocolate display and pralines are required – in four modules, on two days, seven hours a day. “This special and time-consuming creativity is required above all in tests and competitions. In everyday life, far less extravagance is required, so you focus more on the customers.” Veronika Schmid says: “Anna deserves a medal because she has been working towards this competition for two years, is well prepared for it and has remained positive and motivated the whole time is. She is very ambitious and open to criticism. She knows what she wants and does everything to get it done.” Schmidt and Saurer first practiced basic techniques and produced smaller showpieces out of sugar or chocolate. “Anna has attended various courses to educate herself and learn new techniques. And we’ve been training excessively on our program since July and we’re already looking forward to it when the time has finally come.” For Saurer it would be “of course a dream and a reward for the hard work to be at the front of the competition. But you never know if something might not work,” says Saurer. According to WorldSkills, “There definitely is a vacation. Where and when will depend on the result.” Until then, however, the pastry chef will remain true to her WorldSkills motto: “Grow beyond your limits!”
From Café Katzung to Shanghai, BezirksBlätter Innsbruck contribution
dream fulfilled
Anna Saurer won a “Medaillon for Excellence” in the confectionery category with her creation on the subject of a circus hat. Leo Jindrak, head of the confectioners’ guild, explains: “Anna is one of the best young confectioners in the world. Her creativity, versatility and ambition helped her to try WorldSkills 2022 and receive this great award.” Saurer completed her apprenticeship as a pastry chef at Cafe Munding. She passed the final apprenticeship exam in August 2018 with distinction. They have been working at Café Katzung since 2020 and follow the movement and decoration of cakes, slices and desserts. For four years – ever since Anna Saurer caught the competition fever – she has been moving to the St. Nikolaus vocational school every afternoon, where she continues to practice in her free time.
About WorldSkills 2022
It is a very special premiere that will take place in 2022. After the cancellation of Shanghai, the competitions will take place across the globe. For the first time in history, the World Skills Championships will be held in a total of 15 countries. In addition to Austria, these will be Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, Luxembourg, Sweden, Switzerland, South Korea, the USA and the United Kingdom. The grand finale of the World Skills Championships will take place in Austria: seven competitions will be held in Salzburg from November 23rd to 27th. Specifically, these are concrete construction, building construction, electrical engineering, plant electrics, forwarding logistics, chemical laboratory technology and heavy vehicle technology. The competition area will be in the Salzburg exhibition center, the competitions will take place at the same time as the BIM career information fair. The competitions in Austria form the crowning glory of the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition.