NEWS RELEASE July 15, 2013 CONTACT: Samantha Lee Marketing Design Group Phone: 619.298.1445 x105 Email: samantha@marketingdesigngroup.com For Immediate Release RBA Announces the Contestants for 13th Annual Pillsbury Bakers’ Plus Creative Decorating Competition Washington, DC— The Retail Bakers of America (RBA) has announced

the contestants for the 13th Annual Pillsbury Bakers’ Plus Creative

Decorating Competition to be held on October 6-9 at the International

Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) in Las Vegas, Nevada. The twelve

contestants will compete head-to-head for the coveted Pillsbury Bakers’

Plus championship title and $14,000 in cash prizes.

For the first time ever, the contest opened the competition to a wider field

of professional decorators, giving non-RBA members the opportunity to

participate, provided they are currently working full- or part-time in a

cake/cupcake shop, retail or supermarket bakery and have at least two

years of decorating experience. The following contestants were selected

based on portfolio submissions:

Elizabeth Balderaz of Three Brothers Bakery, Houston, Texas Deanna

Gin of Artistic Bites, San Leandro, California

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Emily Pille of Karen's Bakery Café, Folsom, California

Stephanie Wertman of Sugarland, Raleigh, North Carolina

Shanon Buckner of Sweet Nothings Fine Cakes and Desserts,

Wyandotte, Michigan

In addition to the portfolio submissions, seven contestants were chosen

through the traditional RBA Affiliate Competitions:

Keeann Richards-Cramer representing the Upper Midwest Bakery

Association from Jerry's Foods, Edina, Minnesota

Mariah Carey representing Southeastern Retail Bakers Association from

Cothran's Bakery, Gadsden, Alabama

Tamara Mugerauer representing the Wisconsin Bakers Association from

Tamara’s the Cake Guru, Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Emma McAdow representing the Greater Cincinnati Retail Bakers

from Busken Bakery, Cincinnati, Ohio

Karen Thomson representing the Ohio Bakers Association from Ele Cake

Company, West Carrollton, Ohio

Ashley Spitzer representing the Chicago Area Retail Bakers Association

from Creative Cakes, Tinley Park, Illinois

Krystina Gianaris representing the New Jersey Bakers Board of Trade

from Cake and Company, Teaneck, New Jersey

The competition will be held on the IBIE tradeshow floor for 12 hours over

a three day period with contestants creating decorated cakes in five

categories: Floral Cakes, Wedding Cake, Fondant Cakes, Custom Design

Cakes and Sculpted Cakes.

The highest scoring individual, as determined by a panel of professional

judges, will be awarded the coveted Pillsbury Bakers’ Plus Grand

Champion Trophy, sponsored by General Mills. Gold, silver, and bronze

medals will also be awarded for the highest three scores in each

category. Winning contestants will share in $14,000 in prize money.

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Sponsors of the contest include General Mills/Pillsbury and the Retail

Bakers of America along with category sponsors, Bakery Crafts,

Chefmaster, CSM Bakery Products, DecoPac, and Pfeil & Holing.

For more information and to register for IBIE, visit www.IBIE2013.com or

email: lschurman@retailbakersofamerica.org.

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Retail Bakers of America (RBA)—a 501(c)6 not-for-profit national trade

association located in Tinley Park, IL—caters to retail bakeries, allied

suppliers, educators, students and other industry partners, and is

committed to the success of the retail baking industry. Founded in 1918,

RBA works as the bakers’ business partner and resource provider, and is

the nation’s premier source of industry information. More information is

available at www.rbanet.com.

IBIE, sponsored by the American Bakers Association (ABA), the Baking

Industry Suppliers Association (BEMA) and the Retail Bakers of America

(RBA), is recognized worldwide as the grain-based food industry’s

largest, most comprehensive trade event. A “working show,” where

millions of dollars of business is conducted daily, IBIE brings the entire

professional baking community together, offering the complete range of

equipment, supply and ingredient solutions and showcasing the newest

baking technology in 500,000 net square feet. The triennial event will next

be held in Las Vegas, NV October 6-9, 2013.

Attendees include employees of: wholesale bakeries, suppliers and

distributors; supermarket chains, central bakeries and commissaries;

supermarket in-store bakeries; multi-store and single unit retail bakeries;

intermediate wholesale bakeries; donut, pie and cookie retailers; cake

and cupcake shops; foodservice operators; tortilla producers; snack food

producers; biscuit & cracker producers. Exhibitors include manufacturers

and suppliers of: baking/food equipment and systems; ingredients,

flavorings, spices & fillings; ingredient handling systems; packaging

materials & systems; technology; sanitation equipment; transportation &

distribution equipment; refrigeration equipment; business services.