bakingbuyer - November 2011 - 14

BREADWINNERS

RAISINS WITH A

Pretzel mania ensued at the finals of America’s Best Raisin Bread Contest Oct. 14-15 when Certified Master Baker Gary Gottenbusch proved you can teach an old snack food a new trick. Gottenbusch, an owner of Servatii Pastry Shop in Cincinnati, rolled up his sleeves to produce a winning formula with his California Raisin Walnut Pretzel, which earned the grand prize in the Artisan category. Gottenbusch knows his pretzels (he calls them the word’s oldest snack food), after having spent a career as a baker in his family’s prestigious bakery business and an apprenticeship in Germany. Gottenbusch even patented a Pretzel Stick, which they bake fresh at Servatii’s 13 retail locations and sell tens of thousands during the holidays. For America’s Best Raisin Contest, he wanted to add a new twist. So, he thought, what better way to accomplish this than with a pretzel filled with California raisins. “I’m going to get a lot of notoriety locally because I became a finalist, and I’m excited about that. It gives me one more thing to talk about before the holidays,” Gottenbusch says of competing in the annual contest sponsored by the California Raisin Marketing Board. “California raisins are fantastic. They’ll all natural. It’s
14 · BAKING BUYER · NOVEMBER 11

The California Raisin Walnut Pretzel won Grand Prize in the artisan category.

the fruit that’s always in season. Using the white raisins, the dark raisins and the currants adds to the texture, the appearance, and the flavor. It’s a great product.” Thirty-seven finalists in the contest, the only professional baking competition in the U.S., gathered at the American Institute of Baking (AIB) in Manhattan, KS, to compete for industry honors, industry recognition and a prize that includes a California tour of the raisin industry, Napa Valley, and the Culinary Institute of America. “Our goal is to dis-

cover and reward the most creative and talented bakers in the country by challenging them to create raisin bread products in four categories – Artisan, Commercial, Breakfast and Student,” says Larry Blagg, senior vice president of marketing for the California Raisin Marketing Board. “The competition has grown each year, and attracts the top bakers in America. This year’s entries were impressive and innovative, and the judges had their work cut out.” Another Certified Master Baker, Jory Downer, owner of Bennison’s Bakery in Evanston, IL, took the Artisan category Judge’s Prize for his Sweet City Loaf, made with carrots, onions, hazelnuts, flaxseed, coriander and lots of raisins.“More bakers should do this competition; it’s a great event. It’s a chance for everybody to enhance their skills and raise the bar,” Downer says. “It forces you to think of new shapes and new flavor profiles. I chose a blend of golden and dark raisins because I wanted a different color profile in the slice of the bread. It brings a lot to the slice.” Twelve bakers won top prizes:

Artisan
Grand Prize – Gary Gottenbusch, Cincinnati, OH (Servatii

bakingbuyer - November 2011

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