Pass the basket, please! The San Francisco-based US Bread Baking Guild competitive team won this year's Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie, described as "the World Cup of bread baking." The team coach and one of the bakers are from the San Francisco Baking Institute (in South City), and the Baking Institute also offered training space for the team.

The team beat out perennial powerhouse France and third-place winner Japan in all three categories: baguettes, viennoiserie (pastries and sandwiches), and artistic design. Team America's artistic design was a bread sculpture featuring Mt. Rushmore and the Statue of Liberty with a flaming torch of wheat and -- Marin ups! -- a Golden Gate Bridge painted with paprika and festooned with little savory rolls for cars. (No mention if a suicide barrier made out of breadsticks was featured.) Rad! SFist loves baking competitions.