Baking & Snack - February 2023 - 21

SPECIAL REPORT
Baking Hall of Fame
milestones,
Memories and More
ASB's Baking Hall of Fame celebrates a special year,
honoring the past and present while eyeing the future.
by Dan Malovany
W
With six inductees entering the American Society of
Baking's (ASB) Baking Hall of Fame in 2023, the number
of bakers, allieds and baking professionals being
recognized for their lifetime achievements breaks the
100 mark, which is more than symbolic for Rowdy
Brixey, chairman of the Baking Hall of Fame Evaluation
Committee and president of Brixey Engineering Inc.
" If you walk into any grocery store and look at what
baked goods are on the shelves or go into any commercial
bakery and see the equipment that's making those
products, you can pretty much attribute most of what
you're seeing to those 103 people who have entered the
Baking Hall of Fame, " he said. " Some people think the
Baking Hall of Fame is irrelevant in regard to these individuals
and the impact they made in the industry, but
just go into a store with this list of 103 people in front
of you, and you're seeing companies like Entenmann's,
Pepperidge Farm, Grupo Bimbo's and Flowers Foods'
brands represented everywhere you look. "
This year's honorees are Frederick E. Cooper, Flowers
Foods and CooperSmith Inc.; Joseph M. Day, Joseph M.
Day Co. and Banner Engineering & Sales Inc.; Harold
Flynn, Flynn Burner Corp.; G. Michael Gude, Sosland
Publishing Co.; and Louis Rotella Sr. and Louis Rotella
Jr., Rotella's Italian Bakery Inc.
The Baking Hall of Fame dates to 2006, when then
ASB Chairman Gary Brodsky shared his vision with the
society to recognize those individuals whose achievements
transformed the baking industry into what it
is today. Mr. Brixey recalled the inspiration from Mr.
Brodsky, who became a member of the hall in 2019 and
whose vision guides the committee today. He noted that
committee members not only vote on nominations, but
also provide advice on how to fill out the form and answer
questions about the nomination process.
" Don't be shy or be concerned about reaching
out to a committee member or an ASB
board member and asking, 'What else
can I do?' It could be about adding
new information, obtaining letters
of recommendation or whether
it's just to have a conversation
about what's missing so that the
committee members have everything
they need when voting on a
nomination, " Mr. Brixey explained.
" Sometimes it's the information, or lack of it, that determines
the difference between someone who is an
inductee and someone who is deserving to be in the
Baking Hall of Fame but hasn't been voted in yet. "
Committee members include Mr. Brixey, Robert
Benton, Gil Bundy, Theresa Cogswell, John Del Campo,
Len Kilby, Dan Malovany and Eddie Perrou. Additionally,
new members including Len Heflich, Tom McCurry
and John Phillips are replacing veterans Jim Diver, Bill
McCurry and Fred Springer who retired from the committee.
Contact ASB to reach out to committee members.
Mr. Brixey also urged people to visit the Baking Hall
of Fame at the Bundy Baking Museum in Urbana, Ohio.
For nomination forms, go to www.asbe.org.
www.bakingbusiness.com / February 2023 Baking & Snack 21
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Baking & Snack - February 2023

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