An Giang female chef wins 'World Baking Artist' competition in Italy

Good news from Milan (Italy) when cake artist Lam Ngoc Tran, 44 years old, from Chau Doc (An Giang), excellently won the championship of the "Cake Artist World Championship 2025", and also won the award for the Best Cake.

Surpassing contestants from 12 countries with strong traditions in pastry art such as the US, UK, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands or Brazil... female chef from An Giang (Vietnam) Lam Ngoc Tran won the championship.

The competition, organized every two years by the International Confederation of Pastry, Ice Cream and Chocolate (FIPG), is considered one of the most prestigious arenas in the world bakery industry. The FIPGC Awards are a testament to creativity, craftsmanship and personal class, while opening up international development opportunities for the winning artisans.

Coming to Milan, Ms. Tran brought with her a work called "Vietnam - The Land of Brocade", which was built over 7 months with hundreds of hours of designing, testing cakes, making models, learning about shaping and perfecting materials. The three-tiered cake is an artistic story about the typical landscapes of her homeland.

The overall cake is the world champion in design and taste. PHOTO: NVCC

The first floor recreates the golden terraced fields in the Northwest with winding rice terraces, farmers leisurely playing flutes on the backs of buffaloes and the image of Vietnamese girls in white ao dai. The second floor leads viewers into the majestic space of Phong Nha - Ke Bang with sparkling stalactites, stone bridges across clear blue lakes and peaceful countryside scenes. The third floor simulates Ha Long Bay with mountains and sea in harmony, limestone mountains and immense water creating a majestic picture of the world natural heritage.

Not only focusing on shaping, the female artist is also creative when using Vietnamese rice flour to decorate, from lotus flowers, houses, trees to small details simulating traditional figurines. "Rice is a staple food for Vietnamese people. I want to prove that rice flour can also be used to create beautiful, durable shapes, suitable for the climate and can completely become a new material for Vietnamese cake artisans," she shared.

The flavor of caramel hazelnut buttercream was tested dozens of times to achieve the balance of sweetness, fat and aroma. This flavor helped her win the "Best Taste Cake" category - the best cake of the competition.

7-month journey and the moment of explosion on the Milan stage. PHOTO: NVCC

To prepare for the competition, Ms. Tran almost put aside all her daily work, devoting all her time to research and practice. "I went to school from morning until 10 pm, some days I didn't finish my modeling class, so I came back earlier the next day to continue working," she said.

During the preparation process, she received support from a companion in charge of the stalactites and paperwork, so that she could focus on the main design. That effort was rewarded when Vietnam's name was announced on the Milan stage. "When I heard my name called for the best cake award, I was very happy. But when they read the name of the championship, my ears rang. A few seconds later, I burst into tears because I couldn't believe I could do it," she emotionally recalled.

Ms. Lam Ngoc Tran (standing in the middle) burst into tears of happiness as she raised the trophy high after being awarded the World Baking Championship. PHOTO: NVCC

Born and raised in the Chau Doc border area, Ms. Tran has loved cakes since she was a child. Every time her mother gave her a birthday cake, it was a time to nurture her dream. After finishing 9th grade, she asked her mother to let her learn the baking profession from an acquaintance and started making cakes to sell on weekends.

After growing up, she continued to pursue her career systematically, studying in many countries such as Canada, Korea and China to perfect her techniques of fondant, buttercream flowers, pea flowers and modern decorative arts. "The most important quality is not being skillful from the beginning but passion. With passion, the craftsman will research, learn and improve day by day," she said.

"The cake is not only for the contest but also a tribute to the nature, culture and people of Vietnam. I want everyone who looks at it to see a beautiful, diverse and proud Vietnam," she shared.

Although she has won many high prizes in international competitions, this is still the biggest award in Lam Ngoc Tran’s 29 years of pursuing the baking profession. Before that, the female baker had achieved many outstanding achievements such as:

• Gold medal, first prize in buttercream category at Cake Fiesta Philippines (2019).
• Gold medal, first prize in the Rice Paper Flower category at Cake International (2021).

In 2024, she continued to make her mark with a series of awards:

• Silver medal, second prize in wedding cake category at Cake International.
• Gold medal, special prize in sculpture category voted by the Senior Jury at Cake International.
• Bronze medal in the cultural theme buttercream category at Cake Show Australia.
• Two silver medals, one third prize and one second prize in the buttercream category at Cake Show Australia.
• Silver medal, second prize in the wedding cake buttercream category at Cake Show Australia.
• Silver medal in Best Chiffon Cake category in Indonesia.

In 2025, she continued to win two more bronze medals in Singapore, and was honored with the Talented Hands Artisan Award (January 2025) and the Asia Excellent Taste Awards (March 2025).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nu-dau-bep-an-giang-vo-dich-cuoc-thi-nghe-nhan-lam-banh-the-gioi-tai-y-185251120223534175.htm