After a successful inaugural competition last year, Rebel Bread is once again hosting the flavor-filled minds of local bakers from every age and skill levels at the Denver Bake Fest on Saturday, October 5. With awards on the line like Best in Show, People’s Choice and the Rebel Bread Staff Pick, as well as new baking categories, sign up to taste the best from local baking enthusiasts.
Hosted at Rebel’s Production Lab on Broadway, this year’s competition is benefiting Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness and its mission to support the wellbeing of those in the food and hospitality industries. And in addition to supporting a good cause, enjoy activities such as baking demos and games, coffee, live music and kitchen tours — think upscale baking competition at a county fair.
“Home and professional bakers have a chance to meet and mingle in an opportunity that we don’t normally have,” says founder of Rebel Bread Zach Martinucci. “And for all different people interested in bakeries, baked goods and baking at home.”
Open to 100 bakers, this competition features new categories — brownies, whole grain savory, quick breads, sandwich cookies and gluten-free cakes.
“We went with really classic baked goods last year, in the first year, trying to see what that turnout would be like. And with our intention of making it an annual event, we wanted to introduce some variety to start exploring all the different kinds of baked goods that there are, especially some of the more unique or creative ones that you might not see all the time,” says Martinucci.
Starting at 10 a.m., Rebel Bread will begin the baking contest tasting, tours of the Rebel Bakery, electric cooking demonstrations and ending at 1 p.m. with the awards ceremony. As the event is free to enter, tickets are required for the sample tastings and voting ($1.25 per ticket), and may be purchased ahead of the event.
Returning baker Lindsey O’Neil will be competing with her Mexican Spiced Hot Cocoa brownies, after participating in the baker’s choice category last year with her Snack Attack cookies — peanut butter cookie with cheese cracker crunch. Specializing in cookies, O’Neil is ready for “turning one of my favorite holiday cookies into a brownie,” says the Send Flours Baking Co. owner.
This passion began for O’Neil when she learned to bake with her grandmother. But it wasn’t until Covid happened and she lost her job that it inspired her to start a cookie company. “I decided I wanted to come up with my perfect chocolate chip cookie and my perfect peanut butter cookie. And then when I was officially laid off, I decided well now I have all these recipes, I’m going to turn this into a company,” O’Neil says.
“In general, the bakers make the event what it is, right? We plan the structure, but then seeing everyone, especially in the first year to have 80 bakers show up and bring their baked goods. And in particular for me, I’ll say the table decorations and all the other little touches that baker’s added to their presentation that I wasn’t expecting. I thought that was so above and beyond and showed all their personalities and the energy they brought to their work,” says Martinucci.
And to all the aspiring bakers, Martinucci says to “bake what’s true to you, to find a way to tell your story and capture your interests and the things you want to share with the world through your baked goods. And to make sure you put in the time and effort that it will take to have the foundation of knowledge to execute a really great quality baked good.”
Denver Bake Fest is hosted by Rebel Bread at 675 S Broadway, Denver and is from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 5. Tickets can be purchased here or in person at the event.
All photos by EB Pix.
Editor’s Note: Updated 10/1/24 to reflect accurate time and ticket details.