Baking Rock Stars Conquer National Contest
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Breanna Barragan, Steven Pham, and Eric Kinjo pose as "rock stars" with guitars after winning the American Society of Baking's annual Product Development Competition.
Three Cal Poly Pomona nutrition and food science students won a national baking competition.
Eric Kinjo, Breanna Barragan, and Steven Pham took first place in the American Society of Baking (ASB) annual Product Development Competition, Feb. 24-26, in Chicago.
In the competition finals, Cal Poly Pomona students were pitted against teams from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the University of Wisconsin, and Purdue University in a contest that required them to create a new flatbread bakery food product.
The flatbread product could take the form of pizza, naan or tortillas, but had to be at least 15 percent of one or more of the “ancient grains” – spelt,
The product had to have a shelf life of more than three weeks or at least six months for frozen products. Judges evaluated the product proposals on their potential success in today’s market. In addition, they judged the entries based on the problem-solving skills the teams used in product development.
The Cal Poly Pomona entry was “Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup Flatbread.” The frozen product was filled with a cheese blend and had tomatoes baked into the bread, giving it the flavor of tomato soup and grilled cheese in every bite.
Each of the students received a $2,000 scholarship, and the team received a trophy for display on campus.
In addition, the students will get full tuition to the AIB International Baking Science and Technology course, a 16-week residency program for bakers that includes hands-on lab work. The scholarship must be used before 2021.
The course teaches students combines science with baking tradition. Participants learn how key ingredients function and interact in baked products, what processes are critical to finished products, and good manufacturing and production practices, including food safety
The ASB product development competition is intended to help bakery management and food technology students transition from college to the wholesale baking industry and spur product innovation in the wholesale baking industry.