Guy Frenkel, an Israeli-born baker and founder of the Los Angeles bread brand Céor, has been named Best Baker at the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE), one of the world’s top baking contests.
The competition, held every three years in Las Vegas, hosted 63 bakers from 13 countries this year. Frenkel, 52, won two top awards: Best Baker and Best Sourdough Bread. His prize-winning loaf was baked with a high concentration of ancient grains, which he germinates himself as part of a long-running research project.
“Guy continues to push traditional boundaries by looking upon bread making as an artistic medium,” said Stephen Hallam, chair of the contest’s judging panel.
Frenkel lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children. About five years ago, he purchased a struggling bakery, rebuilt it from the ground up, and launched Céor, a boutique brand that fuses artisanal bread with design-focused presentation.
Before opening the bakery, Frenkel hosted artistic baking workshops and baked at home, selling loaves for around $100 to celebrity clients that included actor Leonardo DiCaprio and members of the band Imagine Dragons.
Industry publication Baking Business recently credited Frenkel with coining the term “couture baking,” which merges high-end artisan techniques with artistic vision and ancient ingredients.
He is the son of Shmuel Frenkel, founder and chairman of the Israeli investment house Epsilon.