It is Our Pleasure to Announce this Year’s Winners

Every year, the Home Baking Association proudly recognizes individuals who are making a meaningful impact through baking education and community service. Our annual awards shine a spotlight on both seasoned educators and youth leaders who are using baking to teach valuable life skills, inspire creativity, and build stronger communities. Whether it’s in a classroom, community kitchen, or 4-H meeting hall, these award winners exemplify the power of baking to nurture minds and connect people of all ages.

This year, we honor two outstanding contributors:

– An innovative educator who has spent her career helping students rise—literally and figuratively—through baking.
– A passionate young leader who teaches others not only how to bake, but how to give back.

Their stories are a testament to the Home Baking Association’s mission: to promote home baking as a lifelong skill that fosters learning, confidence, and community.

Cathe Felz is the 2025 Educator Award Winner

Cathe Felz with her sourdough bread

Cathe Felz, FACS Educator
Three Forks, Montana
Entry: Exploring the Delicious World of Sourdough

With nearly four decades of teaching experience, Cathe Felz has built a hands-on culinary arts program that blends food science, practical skills, and community engagement. Her dynamic classroom—indoors and out—equips students with essential life skills, from measuring and mixing to sustainability and service learning.

Read more about Cathe’s program →

Russell Kern is the 2025 Youth Award Winner

Russell Kern celebrating a good bake!

Russell Kern, Student
Chase, Kansas
Entry: KS 4-H Health & Wellness: 4-H Baking Workshops

From a young age, Russell has embraced baking as a way to teach, give, and lead. He offers free cooking classes for fellow 4-H members, combining fun science experiments with practical baking skills. His passion for helping others and sharing what he learns makes him a true ambassador of baking for good.

Learn more about Russell’s project →

Our Call to Action

At the Home Baking Association, we believe baking is a powerful tool for community change—and it starts with both educators and students.

When educators bring baking into the classroom, after-school program, library, or youth organization, they’re doing more than teaching a recipe—they’re equipping young people with skills that last a lifetime. Baking naturally weaves together core subjects like math, science, reading, and problem-solving while also building confidence, creativity, and patience. It encourages teamwork, communication, and critical thinking.

At the same time, we’re seeing remarkable leadership from students who are using their baking talents to serve others—whether by donating homemade treats to those in need, teaching younger children, organizing bake sales for good causes, or simply bringing people together with food. These young changemakers remind us that baking is more than a hobby; it’s a way to lead with heart and connect with community.

That’s why we honor and support both the educators who inspire, and the students who take that inspiration and run with it. When we teach young people to bake, we’re teaching them to lead, to give, and to grow.

Explore our free lesson plans, recipes, and changemaker stories at HomeBaking.org, and join us in celebrating those who bake to make a difference—because when we bake together, we build stronger communities.