KANSAS CITY, MO — There’s nothing like a little friendly competition between bakers to spur industry-wide camaraderie. At the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE), held Sept. 13-17 in Las Vegas, there were plenty of experts of the craft putting their talents to the test in front of thousands of attendees.
Through the return of the World Bread Awards USA and Pillsbury Creative Cake Decorating Competition, as well as the IBIE debut of the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie and Panettone World Cup — Americas Selection, bakers of all disciplines had the opportunity to showcase what they do best.
Cake vs. cake
A mainstay of the IBIE experience, the Pillsbury Creative Cake Decorating Competition held its 20th edition and crowned new champions Sabrina Sigouin from La Belle Patisserie and Sandra Major of Le Sucre au Four.
Preparing to compete took weeks of planning and sketching, with the pair sending photos and videos to each other every day. They hopped on calls as often as they could but only had the chance to meet once in person before taking to the competition stage.
“It was at least 50 hours [of preparation],” Sabrina said. “Every detail, every step, notes, lists, all the materials and who was going to make what on each step.”
For the duo, decorating four different cakes over the span of two days in front of crowds was a stressful, wild experience.
“I’ve been to cake shows before, but this one was on a totally different scale,” Sandra said. “At one point, I looked up and there were hundreds — it felt like thousands — of people watching us from every angle. My brain went, ‘Don’t look up. Just breathe. Focus.’”
Even while going head-to-head with 10 other expert cake decorators, the competition offered these bakers a space for connection and growth.
“The judges were incredibly kind yet pushed us to do our best, and the other competitors were just lovely,” Sandra said. “There was so much talent and good energy in one place. I walked away with new friends and a heart full of inspiration.”
The experience encouraged Sandra to create the Cake Show Montreal, to be held June 6-7.
“Seeing what IBIE does for the industry made me want to bring that same spirit to Canada,” Sandra said.
Sabrina shared that the win means a lot to her, hoping it will increase her business’ visibility.
The best of the bread
In a different corner, the industry celebrated the craft of artisan bread with the World Bread Awards, a competition that debuted at the Baking Expo in 2022.
This year’s competition drew in 63 entrants who submitted 170 breads for evaluation by a panel of established bakers and industry professionals. Guy Frenkel, founder and owner of Ceor Bread in Santa Fe Springs, CA, won the Overall Winner title for his Heirloom Sourdough, a recognition he also received in 2022.
For him, it was a testament to his bakery’s quality, a reassurance that the business is trending on the right path.
“Three years ago, there was a much smaller team, and now there’s a big group of people that stand behind this award,” Guy said. “That excites me a lot more than when I was making them alone.”
The celebration of craftsmanship also translates to the judge’s table. Brian Wood, head baker and CEO of Starter Bakery in Berkeley, CA, and two-time judge of the World Bread Awards, shared that offering critical feedback is crucial and supports bakers’ growth.
“Competition is not just about winning; it’s also a process in which you’re doing a lot of learning,” he said. “Whenever I’m involved in something like that, I really focus on giving feedback that’s balanced toward the aspects I think are amazing as well as some of the aspects that could use some work.”
In holding space for these bakers to compete and showcase what they do best, the Baking Expo provides a platform for the advancement of the baking industry.
This story has been adapted from the December | Q4 2025 Craft to Crumb mini-mag. Read the full digital issue here.
