The American Society of Baking (ASB) announced the 2025 inductees into the Baking Hall of Fame at its regional meetup held Oct. 24 at the Bundy Baking Museum in Urbana, OH, home to the Baking Hall of Fame. Started in 2006 from the inspiration of Gary Brodsky, a former ASB chairman and a Hall of Famer himself, today’s Hall of Fame welcomes six new members. They include Nick, Sonny, and John Orlando of Cleveland, OH-based Orlando Baking Co.; Ramon Rivera of Mexico City-based Grupo Bimbo; Ron Zelch, retired instructor from AIB International; and Henry Zobel, retired research chemist.
“The ASB’s 2025 inductees are the inspiration for our next generation of bakery leaders. Everyone should be encouraged by their examples of leadership, teaching, family support, commitment, and tireless work ethic,” remarks John Phillips, a 40-year industry veteran and the interim committee chair for ASB’s Hall of Fame Selection Committee. Phillips is a special projects manager/consultant with Lesaffre, a family-owned company that uses microorganisms and natural fermentation to serve human, plant and animal needs. “We could not be more proud of these dedicated individuals who are our teachers, colleagues, and friends.”
The Orlando Brothers are best renown for introducing ciabatta bread to the U.S. in the 1980s and igniting its popularity that spread across the nation in the years to follow.
In 1986, Nick, Sonny, and John Orlando discovered this bread while on a business trip in Italy. They were convinced it would be a hit in America after trying it themselves. To truly understand how to make ciabatta, they invited the bakers from Italy to come to Cleveland and teach them how to make the classic bread in the traditional manner. From being virtually unknown, it quickly spread in popularity across the U.S. Ciabatta has been at the forefront of the artisan bread renaissance in America over the past four decades in supermarket in-store bakeries, the retail freezer case and in foodservice operations across the country.
The Orlando Baking Co.’s roots date back to 1872 in the small town in Italy. In 1904, part of the family moved to Cleveland to carry on their father's tradition of baking bread. Following their humble beginnings as the neighborhood bakery, the Orlando brothers assumed management of the company in the 1960s and began to grow the business and transformed it into a premier wholesale bakery of Italian, artisan and other Old World breads.
In addition to introducing ciabatta, another lesser-known innovation is that John Orlando pioneered the transition from wooden peel boards to plastic ones for hearth-baked breads. His design and concept, now used worldwide, have replaced wood, which can pose significant food safety risk.
Ramon Rivera is the SVP of global operations for Grupo Bimbo, the largest commercial baking company in the world. Rivera is a 43-year baking industry veteran, starting his career at Grupo Bimbo in Mexico in 1981 and holding various positions in manufacturing, engineering, general management and supply chain.
In his previous role, Rivera was in charge for all aspects of the Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU) supply chain – from production at the 61 bakeries to ensuring 11,000-plus delivery vehicles can be on the road every day. He has helped to create the most efficient supply chain in the industry with a laser-sharp focus on producing and delivering the freshest, highest quality baked goods in the nation.
Ron Zelch began teaching at AIB as the primary Bread & Roll instructor in the early 1980s and later as the Cake & Sweet Goods instructor. During the decades that he taught at AIB, he instructed over 2,900 individuals who attended his courses. In addition, Ron taught many other countless individuals through short courses while at AIB. Zelch also traveled on several occasions to educate bakers around the world about, bread, sweet goods, English muffins and snack cakes.
As a member of ASB since 1969, he contributed his insights and experiences as a speaker, volunteer leader, and writer of technical content and papers. His contributions as a master baker, educator, and industry influencer have made a lasting impact on the baking community. Through his teachings, he has enriched the lives and baking careers of countless individuals, leaving an indelible mark on the industry, ASB says.
Henry Zobel was a chemist at the Northern Regional Research Laboratory, a facility of the USDA Agricultural Research Service from 1951-1966. He did his seminal work, contributing to the elucidation of the structure of starch granules and the subsequent changes that occurred during baking and staling (published in 1959 with F.R. Senti). Zobel predicted, based on X-Ray crystallography, the possibility of using a specific amylase enzyme to selectively cleave the branches of amylopectin to prevent staling. He defined the specific criteria of this novel amylase enzyme, which was found by Enzyme Bio-Systems, and worked with bakers to confirm the efficacy of the enzyme. The advent of anti-staling enzymes has had a huge impact on the baking industry, says ASB.
“Recognizing industry leaders, like those in the ASB Baking Hall of Fame, is paramount to celebrating innovation and showcasing the talent that exists in the commercial baking industry. We are proud to support a community of bakers who cherish the legacy of these baking legends while keeping their eyes focused on the future for consumers,” says Kristen L. Spriggs, ASB executive director.
To learn more about ASB’s Hall of Fame and the baking legends, visit asbe.org. Those wishing to join ASB for its Baking Hall of Fame Luncheon & Induction Ceremony for the Class of 2025, may register for BakingTECH 2025.
