Latvia’s Young Food Specialists Demonstrate Their Skills – Winners of the “New Baker 2025” Contest Announced
On December 4, the professional skills competition “New Baker 2025”, organized by the Latvian Food Cluster and the Latvian Baker Association, concluded with 11 aspiring specialists from vocational education institutions across Latvia showcasing their talent.
Participants competed in two tasks: baking the traditional bread “Kompromisa maize”, and creating a “Sustainability”-themed innovative product emphasizing the use of natural ingredients, a zero-waste approach, and the ability to transform bread leftovers into a new product category.
The winner of “New Baker 2025” was Agnese Volmane from the Restaurant Service School, mentored by Iveta Penele.
2nd place – Aleksandra Fomina, Riga Technical School of Tourism and Creative Industries, Preiļi Branch, mentored by Anita Baškatova.
3rd place – Fidan Ilyasova, Riga Technical School of Tourism and Creative Industries, mentored by Līga Rugāja.
The Jury’s Special Recognition Award went to Darīna Jansone from Rēzekne Technical School, mentored by Dana Kuzņecova.
The laureates received cash prizes and special awards from supporters. The competition was supported by AS Dobeles Dzirnavnieks, SIA Gemoss, bakeries Lāči, Lielezers, Flora, Ķelmēni, and SIA Puratos Latvia.
Normunds Skauģis, master baker and owner of Lāči, Chairman of the Jury:
“We are at the most beautiful and meaningful competition of the year – ‘New Baker’. Each year it proves how strong Latvia’s vocational schools are, how knowledgeable and supportive our teachers are, and how talented our young people are. We see new discoveries every time – in recipes, in desserts, and in the way young bakers present their work. I am proud to take part in this competition and extend my heartfelt thanks to the organizers for their dedication. May all participants continue to achieve results as outstanding as this year’s!”
Valters Kanopa, Production Manager and Master Baker at N. Bomis Bakery Lielezers:
“It is a great pleasure to see young people who no longer focus solely on following a recipe precisely, but also consider who the product is intended for and why people would want to choose it. Our future bakers think not only about the technological process but also about the product’s story and its place in the market. This is an important quality I observed in the participants.”
Daiga Kunkulberga, Technologist at SIA Balthelin:
“Each creation was like a story – thoughtful, carefully crafted, and marked by professionalism. It is encouraging to see young bakers mastering both classic traditions and innovations.”
The competition was open to students of vocational education institutions aged 17 to 25.
It was organized by the Latvian Food Cluster in cooperation with the Latvian Baker Association and the Riga Technical School of Tourism and Creative Industries.
The competition was co-financed by the European Union under the project “Latvian Food Cluster” No. 5.1.1.2.i.0/3/24/A/CFLA/006.
