Post-show report: All Things Baking

Advertisement At this month's All Things Baking show in Houston, thousands of attendees took advantage of the education, hands-on demonstrations, bakery tours and the latest innovations from leading vendors. Participants hailed from all across the United States and 27 countries including Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Italy, Guatemala and Australia. The show was created to serve as the industry's annual marketplace, meeting place and educational forum during the 2-year gap in the IBIE rotation. "In light of current economic conditions, this year's show was successful—especially in terms of the quality of buyers present," said Ken Downey, RBA president. "This is a testament to the strength and vitality of the baking industry in North America." The education program was a strong draw for attendees. Produced by the Retail Bakers of America, AIB international and the RPIA Group, the program offered leading-edge instruction focusing on everything from decorating trends to business management and marketing. Visit The Baking Blog for coverage of the educational sessions at ATB. The 12th Annual RBA Pillsbury Bakers' Plus Creative Decorating Competition adorned the show floor with masterfully decorated cakes. On the final day of the show, the top three scoring individuals were announced and awarded medals as well as more than $14,000 in prize money for each of five sponsored categories .The highest overall scoring individual, Rachel Vaughn, The Cakery, was named the Grand Champion and awarded the coveted Pillsbury Baker's Plus Grand Champion trophy, sponsored by General Mills. Read results of the Creative Decorating Competition. Another new feature for ATB was the Cake and Bread Extravaganza, a competition of finished product sponsored by Johnson Brothers Bakery Supply. Bakers entered their products in four categories: buttercream, sculpted cakes, kolache, rosca de reyes, and cupcakes. All first place winners received $250 in cash while second place winners received gift certificates for merchandise from Johnson Brothers Bakery Supply. The winners in the sculpted cake category were: Naomi M Palombo of Cakes by Julia (first place) and Thomas Baker of Three Brothers Bakery (second place). In the kolache category John Homrighausen of Ranch Bakery won first place and Dawn Nielsen of the Kolache Factory placed second. In the cupcake competition, Thomas Baker of Three Brothers won first place while Haley Ogle of the The Muffin Top took second. There were no entries in the rosca de reyes category.