The Perfect Rise: Conversations with RBA
"The Perfect Rise: Conversations with RBA" is your all-access pass to the heart of the retail baking industry. Each episode brings you inside the kitchen with leading bakers, educators, and innovators who share their stories, tips, and insights. From the secrets of achieving the perfect loaf to navigating business growth, we explore what it takes to elevate your baking craft and career. Whether you’re a seasoned pro, an aspiring baker, or simply hungry for inspiration, tune in and discover how the Retail Bakers of America helps you rise to every challenge—and savor every success.
The Perfect Rise: Conversations with RBA
E113: The Truth About Becoming a Certified Master Baker
What does it really take to become a Certified Master Baker? In this episode of The Perfect Rise, Chef LeeAnn Adams shares her journey—from late nights in the kitchen to passing one of the most intense baking exams in the industry.
We talk about the written and practical tests, the pressure, the power of mentorship, and the lifelong impact of becoming a CMB. If you’re a baker chasing excellence or curious about what’s possible in your career, this episode will leave you inspired.
• Inside the Certified Master Baker process
• How the RBA supports exam candidates
• Why consistency, leadership, and practice matter
• Encouragement for anyone considering the CMB
• Chef LeeAnn’s legacy and impact on the industry
📌 Learn more about CMB certification
🎧 Also check out our episode with Chef Austin
📍 Find Chef LeeAnn at the RBA Baker Center at IBIE!
#CertifiedMasterBaker #RBA #BakingCareer #CMBExam #BakingMentor #PastryChef #ProfessionalBaker #BakeryIndustry #ThePerfectRise #RBAPodcast
Speaker 2 (00:00.046)
But what does it really take to earn the title of certified master baker and why does it matter? In today's episode of The Perfect Rise, we're pulling back the curtain on one of the most prestigious certifications in the baking industry with someone who's not only earned the title but now helped shape the path for others to follow. Chef Leanne Adams describes herself as a baking nerd, but that title hardly captures the depth of her expertise.
from overseeing a 42,000 student scratch bakery operation at Penn State to mentoring the next generation through the retail bakers of America. Chef Leanne has spent her career pushing the limits of her craft. We'll talk about the rigorous CMB process, what it really tests, why it pushes bakers to the edge, and how to set a new standard for quality, leadership, and consistency.
You'll hear how Chef Leanne prepared for the exam, what it unlocks in her career, and why mentorship, not perfection, is at the heart of the journey. Whether you're considering certification, mentoring others, or just love hearing from people who live and breathe excellence in baking, this conversation is a must listen. Let's dive in.
Hello everyone and welcome back to this episode of The Perfect Rise, Conversations with the RBA. I'm so excited. Today I am here with one of our esteemed certified master bakers, Chef LeAnn Adams. Thank you so much for joining me today. How are you?
Well, how are you doing?
Speaker 2 (01:39.66)
doing lovely. I am doing lovely. So we are going to jump right in this conversation so that our listeners can get a better understanding of what the CMB exam is, what that certification looks like for people, and kind of like the future of our industry with what this can look like. Great. So the first question I have for you is, for those who are unfamiliar with the CMB designation, can you share what it represents and why it is such an important credential in our industry?
It is the credential for the master. It is the top of the peak. It says to anybody that sees that credential, you have spent a lifetime working at this, except for Austin, who got his when he was very young. But for most of us, we work very hard for a very long time in order to be able to pass an exam that covers multiple areas.
of skill and be able to do it when you're stressed and under not the most favorable conditions sometimes. So it is an indication that you've mastered something. You're at the top of your game. That says a lot.
It does. I agree. I've heard. I've been talking to CNBs on the road and they're all just like, it is indeed a test.
It is not an easy test. It looks like an easy test on paper. It is not. It's a very hard test.
Speaker 2 (03:11.246)
Okay, so perfect segue. So can you walk us through your own journey to becoming a certified master baker? Like what inspired you to pursue it?
had started working at the Culinary Institute of America as a new instructor in the baking and pastry department. And I was surrounded by these super talented pastry chefs and bakers and almost all of them had their CMB. And when I talked to them, they all talked about the journey of getting it and how it impacted them, how it made them better, how it forced them to grow. That credential did for them academically.
led to promotions. It was utilized by the school for marketing campaigns. Students looked up to it, parents looked up to it. It was something to go after. So as soon as I was eligible to take the exam, I signed up and I was ready. I was stoked to go get this. love it.
Okay, so the CMB process includes written exams, practical tests, and a portfolio. What part of the process challenged you the most and what did you gain from it?
The whole thing's challenging. The whole thing. Start to finish. It ran the gamut. The written test is a wide array of general and very specific knowledge in baking. And then the practical test is, a haul. It's an eight hour day. The first day, eight, the second, and you don't stop. And it is, it is a test. You don't know some of the items you're making until you get there, which.
Speaker 1 (04:53.784)
place with your head. Depending on where you are, you could be traveling and show up in a kitchen you've never worked in, baked in. You don't know where anything is and that messes with your head. You've probably at this point told everybody, you know, you're taking the CMB test and you don't want to screw it up. And that messes with your head. And it's a hard test. I tell people it's like your worst day at work. Everybody's called off sick and the refrigerators went down and you lost all your mise en place and
everything has to be made from scratch by you and you alone. You're it. We don't normally work that way. Bakers don't work that way. We're pack rats. We put stuff in the freezer. We put stuff in the fridge. We're not Alam-Nut people. So this is hard. It's hard. Really hard.
Okay, so I think it is important for people to understand like the certified master baker is master baker, right? Like this requires some things for you to know. So let's talk about standards for the CMB testing. How does achieving the CMB push bakers to reach a new level of quality leadership and consistency?
Quality lives with the product you're making. You have to make a certain level of quality to pass the exam. It's being judged by other master bakers who know what they're looking at. You've got to be on point. That is, and again, it's a multitude of products. Most bakers or pastry chefs will settle into one kind of area. You'll decorate cakes or you'll make bread.
This covers all of them. It goes across the board. So you're being pushed. Most people are not overly proficient at everything. So that's a push for you to become that level at everything. You have to practice and you have to push. Leadership. To do this, you have to practice, which means you have to organize your work schedule, your home life schedule, everything in your life around taking time.
Speaker 1 (07:03.928)
to put in eight hour practice runs, multiples over and over again. So those are leadership skills. You're communicating, you're scheduling, you're ordering food supplies, you're scheduling space. All of these things lead to management and leadership. They're behind the scene, but they're there. You're working on it and you're getting better every day.
The last one I forget was quality and leadership and something else really important.
Consistency.
Consistency. Consistency is the hobnobs of bakeries. You have to be able to make the same item every day, the same way every day. You can't have a chocolate chip cookie one way one day and next week, you know, make it a little different. That doesn't work. So you have to be consistent in what you're doing. And consistency leads to your timeline. It's a time test. So being consistent, doing it the same way every time.
Same size, same weight, same result plays into your timing. And those are really important things, but consistency in baking is paramount.
Speaker 2 (08:17.792)
perspective, how has being a CMB impacted your career and opened up new opportunities?
This is big. Initially, it helped me get promotions at work, which, you know, everybody likes that. You get a pay raise. I wound up leaving that employer and looking for another job and it stands out on a resume. My former boss told me when he saw my resume, he actually thought the CMB was a joke. He didn't believe it was real that somebody was playing a trick on him that a CMB didn't land in his lap.
But there I was right in his office for an interview. It opens doors. It gets you into places. I mentioned it also is able to be used by your employer for marketing and other campaigns. It is a level of quality that is recognized by customers. So it's, it's worth being put out there. It opens a group of people to you that the RBA opens up to you.
the group of CMBs opens up to you, you gain this pool of experts that you can contact, you can reach out to. And instead of like, who do I call to figure out how to get my oven working? You now have which one of the 12 people I met do I call first? They're there. They're all willing to help. They're all in this because they love baking. They love baking business and
they're an amazing group of people. So multiple, multiple things happen when you can put those letters behind your name.
Speaker 2 (09:56.588)
love that. you know what? Perfect segue into a question I have for you. So in thinking about like once they do it, right, that now they have this community of other CNBs. Can you talk to me a little bit about how does the RBA support bakers who are pursuing the certification and what role mentors like you play in that process?
The mentoring role is a big thing. Every test has at least one, usually two mentors assigned to it. This is decided ahead of time. We know we're signing up for it and we know there's a time commitment with it. So we're ready and willing to do that. It is the best way a candidate can utilize the RBA. That on their own, they have to practice. That is theirs.
And instantly as a judge, you can see when somebody practices and when they don't, this is necessary to practice. The thing the RBA can help you with is the mentorship aspect. We're willing to talk to you, go through the test with you, answer your questions, explain things, give you the judge's perspective on what we're looking for in each product. Do you want this to be dark? Do you want it to be light? Do you want it to have open cell structure?
Do you like this filling with this pastry? All of those questions. Is this the right size? Should it be glazed? Everything, the gamut, we get the gamut and every one of us patiently and willingly answers all of those questions. I love questions. I want everybody to come into this test ready to go and know what they're doing. Be very.
clear on this is what we want you to do. Utilize the mentorship program. It's not any kind of sign that you can't do this by yourself. No. One of the great things about becoming a master baker for me was understanding that that's part of mastering something is, is knowing when you need your questions answered and who to go, go ask them to. Also feedback, being willing to take criticism and feedback, be willing to listen openly.
Speaker 1 (12:11.458)
to what we're saying on your products. You know, we see stuff that isn't up to standard and we're gonna tell you, we're not gonna let you proceed with that. So that's another part of it. We're all very kind. None of us are brutal, but we'll get you through it. We'll get you through it. We wanna see you succeed. We wanna see you pass. So we're here for you. We're here. Just utilize us. And Marissa and the rest of the RBA crew can answer questions like, you know,
How do I pay for this? Or where do I stay at what hotel? Those kinds of things. Everybody's
Yes.
Can we stop? I have to blow my nose. Hold on. I a tissue in my screen. Yes, do.
Speaker 1 (13:03.192)
Sorry, I'm sitting there trying not to sniffle.
It's okay. I'm back. to do it.
Alright. Thank you, sorry. It's totally fine.
I gotta go back up to a question. I jumped out of order. All right. And stop. That is super insightful information for people to understand what will happen along the journey that we're not just gonna throw them into this test. But in your experience and after years of doing this, what do you think holds some qualified bakers back from pursuing this certification and what encouragement would you offer them?
I think not understanding the benefits of doing this. What's it going to get me? I've heard people say this. Well, what's it going to do for me? And I think the RBA has started to do a much better job of getting that message out, what a CMB certification can do for you.
Speaker 1 (14:03.934)
And the other thing is it's a time commitment. So being able to work that into your schedule, you know, realistically, maybe this year isn't the best year for you, but I wouldn't let go of it. It's a really valuable certification. There are a lot of amazing, good things that come from this. And the thing is you don't know you're going to use it later on in life. You don't know what's around the corner. And, and it just may pop up like, wow.
I'm so glad I did that. I needed that door opened. I needed those people. Yeah.
Yes. so where do you see the future of certification heading within our industry, especially for younger bakers coming up?
That's a good question. younger bakers, well, I think certification is growing. think, and particularly with the younger bakers I've interacted with, I don't want to make a generalization that every young baker is this way, but my contact has been, they're much better at digital media and everything than I am. I'm a dinosaur. There is a...
Speaker 1 (15:16.502)
an ability to market themselves, to put their brand, if you want to call it that, out there and utilize all these different platforms in that manner. This is something that goes with that instantaneously. To be able to utilize that while you are putting yourself out there, no matter what digital
area you're utilizing, but it's not something you have to explain a whole lot. think anybody who sees master baker, master of bake, okay, I get it. This isn't a hard acronym to figure out. It is really useful. I think people job jump more than they used to. When I was young, the idea was to get a job and keep a job. My first big job I kept for 17 years. People don't do that much anymore. So.
And being able to change a job or change a career, change a location, this helps. So I think being able to get certified and utilize those in your search for whatever makes you happy in the universe, it is a good thing. it'll make you, it makes you better. Across the board, it makes you better. Go do it.
And we have several certifications in addition to the CMV that I'll definitely make sure are like in our show notes and you guys can read more on that one. This has been super, super insightful. And I'll definitely also link to Austin's because he gave us a little bit of the behind the scenes and you know, how he had this study and like do this for 10 weeks.
and how he had his students like help out with the rehearsing. When he did this for like 10 weekends in a row to prepare and he was really singing your praises on that.
Speaker 1 (17:06.126)
He is an everyday entity in my life for a while, which is okay. He would pop in, he would send me pictures, he would ask me questions, and he did spectacular. It was a joy to watch him in the test. It's what we want to see. So, utilize us. We'll help you.
Yes, so we're definitely going to link to that one. So if you're interested in CMB, definitely go listen to Chef Austin's interview. He like gives us the full gamut of all the things. It was so fun. But for my final question for you, Chef Leanne, what legacy do you hope to leave through your work as a certified master baker and advocate for excellence in baking?
I want to change somebody. If it's just one person, make a difference. I think it's really important to realize this isn't all about you. So to be able to give back and help others in this journey is powerful stuff to me. It really means something. And I hope I can do that. I hope I make a difference. I hope I give back. A lot of people gave to me when I was young, and I hope I repay that.
think you are.
I hope so.
Speaker 2 (18:21.084)
I think you are.
I hope. Do good things in the world. Yes. Be nice.
and be nice. Absolutely. Chef LeAnn, this has been so wonderful. Thank you so much for joining me today on this episode of The Perfect Rise. If you guys are coming to IBIE, make sure you stop by the RBA Baker Center. Chef LeAnn will be over there. That's home base for her. Or hop over and find me at the booth. I'll let you know where she is. We'll be tag teaming right there next to each other in Vegas. Until next time, you guys. Stay sweet. Chef LeAnn, thank you so much for joining me today.
Thank you, I had a blast. Take care.
