It was pure excitement, a heavy vanilla aroma and decadent tastings, when the Jamaica Flour Mills hosted the King of Buns Competition at the School of Hospitality, University of Technology (UTech) on Tuesday, April 2. After hours of preparation, friendly rivalry and interactive sessions with the day’s host, Miss Kitty, Captain’s Bakery copped the title of the best healthy bun alongside Hammond’s Bakery, which won the traditional bun category award.

“It has been an excellent product over the years and we had confidence in it entering the competition, and hope to capitalise on this win,” said Russell Hammond of Hammond’s Bakery.

He disclosed that preparations began from March 26. Out of that batch, six buns were selected for competition.

Captain’s and Hammond’s came out on top of a total of 13 participants, including Golden Loaf Bakery, Ocho Rios; Chuck’s Bakery, St Ann’s Bay; Coleville Bakery, Manchester; Young Sang Bakery, Morant Bay; Top Loaf, Mandeville; Jimmy’s Bakery, Montego Bay; Regal Bakery, Montego Bay; Maxfield Bakery, Kingston; Newtown Bakery, Kingston; and AML, Port Maria.

Sixty-year-old Golden Loaf Baking, known for producing over 175 baked products, was the second-place winner in both the Health and Traditional categories, while Top Loaf took third place for both Health and Traditional categories.

Judges Marcia Fraser-Cummings and Winston Piper, lecturers at UTech, and Reynard Ramon, 2018 JF Mills scholarship winner, critiqued unlabelled buns, by tasting and feeling the texture of each. Audience members got particularly excited when they were asked to plunge into the fun of competing against each other in a bun-eating contest. This consisted of four male rivals: Brandon James, Peter Wong, Donaski Foster and Stacio Green, students at the University of Technology and a visitor from China. They eagerly devoured the delicious buns, as onlookers cheered them on. Their enthusiasm was remarkable.

The JF Mills Kings of Bun Competition started in 2006 with the sole purpose of creating a space for bakers to participate and feel a sense of togetherness. “We always encourage friendly rivalry amongst bakers from different parishes,”said Donna Sharpe, general manager at Jamaica Flour Mills. “This initiative forces each bakery to bring their best. We are happy for the interest it has generated this year!”

“This year we have added another dimension to the competition to allow bakeries to promote an alternate option for the Reduced Sugar Bun Easter bun. We are aware that many persons want to enjoy the Easter treat but prefer less sugar than the traditional buns,” she also disclosed.

Categories:

Traditional Bun Category

1. Trophy & 20 bags bakery flour ($72K) Applied Baking Technology (online) Course at American Institute of Baking (AIB)

2. Certificate & 10 bags bakery flour ($36K)

3. Certificate & 5 bags bakery flour ($18K)

Reduced Sugar Bun Category

1. Trophy & 20 bags bakery flour ($72K) Applied Baking Technology (online) Course at American Institute of Baking (AIB)

2. Certificate & 10 bags bakery flour ($36K)

3. Certificate & 5 bags bakery flour ($18K)

All participants are entitled to a 5 per cent discount on all flour purchases of 100 bags and over for the month of April.

Winners

Traditional Easter Bun

1st Place — Hammond’s Pastry Place

2nd Place — Golden Loaf Bakery

3rd Place — Top Loaf Bakery & Young Sang Bakery

Reduced Sugar Bun

1st Place — Captain’s Bakery

2nd Place — Golden loaf

3rd Place — Top Loaf