Bake Fest 2024 Highlights
As this year’s 2025 Bake Fest approaches (Saturday, October 4th), we thought we’d reminisce about last year’s great event!
Bake Fest is an annual celebration of bakers and bakery enthusiasts in the Front Range, bringing together home bakers, cottage bakers, and even some up-and-coming baking entrepreneurs for a friendly competition.
The second-ever event was held on Saturday, October 5th, 2024, nearly coinciding with Rebel Bread’s sixth birthday. While the idea was dreamed up by Rebel Bread founder Zach Martinucci, Bake Fest is a community-supported event that relies on our partners and industry friends to make it special. Whether you’re a sponsor, donor, baker, photographer, media specialist, pastry lover, event rental company, musician, or just a passerby with a sweet tooth, Bake Fest needs you!
Bakers can enter their baked goods into the competition by registering for a table, claiming a category, and bringing plenty of samples to the event. There is no application process for bakers - the only requirement is a passion for baking and timely registration. Last year’s categories were:
Brownies
Whole Grain Savory
Quick Breads
Sandwich Cookies
Gluten-Free Cakes
We had about a hundred bakers enter the competition last year, ranging in experience but all sharing the same passion. We were thrilled to see kid bakers enter with their colorful cookies, and an industry professional with unique sourdough bagel concoctions (which can now be enjoyed at the incredible Odell’s Bagel). Some bakers went all-in on branding and decorated their tables, while others let the samples do the talking.
Perhaps the biggest winners of Bake Fest are the attendees! Anyone attending the event can buy “tasting tickets” to be exchanged for samples of the competitors’ baked goods, trying out as many as they can manage, and then submitting their favorite item for the People’s Choice Award. We know, as professional bakers, that it’s easy to get caught up among timers and oven temps and forget why we bake in the first place - to bring people together over great food. We love seeing passionate bakers connect with passionate eaters in their community!
There’s a lot more to Bake Fest than just the baked goods! Last year’s event featured live music, coffee from the Green Bus Cafe, tours of the bakery, hanging out in the courtyard, and more. The event concludes with an award ceremony, where community leaders announce the winners of each category. Prizes for the baking competition last year included baking supplies from Sour House, high-quality ingredients from local distributors Altamira and Italco, a signed copy of the “30 Breads to Bake Before You Die” cook book by local author Allyson Reedy, and more. Raffle prizes for attendees were also handed out in the form of donated gift certificates from our favorite local places (Huckleberry Roasters, Littleton Meats, & Copper Door Coffee).
This year’s Bake Fest will take place on Saturday, October 4th and will feature new baking categories, the same amazing band, more goodies and prizes, and more interactive events. We hope to see you there!