Featured Certified Chefs

2024 RBA Certified Chefs

Congratulations to the bakers who passed certification exams in 2024. The RBA commends your hard-work and dedication to the industry.

  • Derek Corsino, Certified Master Baker

  • Rachel Wyman, Certified Master Baker

  • Erica Tomei, Certified Master Baker

CMB Spotlight: Heather Moore, CMB  

Heather Moore, CMB

Becoming a Certified Master Baker takes perseverance, craftsmanship and serious organization. Heather Moore demonstrated all of these talents during RBA’s 2019 Certified Master Baker exam in San Antonio, TX. Moore currently works at Schoolcraft College in Livonia Michigan where she manages four cafés on campus, as well as teaches baking and food chemistry classes with Culinary Arts Department. Chef Heather Moore discusses her recent accomplishment, along with its challenges, thrills and value.  

What motivated you to earn your CMB? 

I am lucky to be surrounded by professionals that take the certification process and the culinary craft very seriously.  Each of my colleagues is constantly striving to better themselves.  This culture is what pushed me to actively pursue the CMB certification.  Having this certification validates the hard work I put into achieving it, but also pushes me to never be complacent, and continue to learn.   

Are there other CMBs who influenced or inspired you on your certification journey? 

Chef Colette Christian, CMB, was amazing at supporting me. She shared her knowledge while preparing for the exam.  I also must say that the judges at the exam Chef Lee Ann Adams CMB, Chef Alain Dubernard CMB, and Chef Melissa Fritz CMB are now all major influences on me.  They were all so kind and professional towards all of the candidates.  Chef Lee Ann Adams, CMB, in particular has really influenced me since the exam.  To hear how incredibly knowledgeable, and successful she is, while most importantly staying humble, was truly inspiring!

How would you best describe the CMB practical exam?  

The best way to describe the CMB practical exam would have to be what Chef Lee Ann Adams told me. She said, “It seems like this simple little test; bake some cookies and a few loaves of bread, but it’s like your worst day at work. You have no mise en place, everyone called off, someone took all your tools, and you can’t find them, and you have to get it done by yourself!  It’s a really hard test.”  The exam doesn’t just evaluate your baking skills, but also how well you manage your time and stay organized.  

How do you think your CMB status will impact your career and professional goals?

I think it is a great way for the students to feel secure in knowing they are learning from someone who takes the craft of baking seriously.