Better Baker Academy, a new online video education platform, is addressing a long-standing gap in the baking industry: most retail bakery employees are skilled home bakers without access to structured, industry-specific training. The platform offers video-based courses for bakery and restaurant workforces, plus a custom content option that lets operators submit footage of their own recipes and procedures to be transformed into exclusive training videos for their teams. On the consumer side, Better Baker Academy is bringing baking classes online for the first time, featuring content from founder Jen Barney. Her in-person classes at Meringue Bakery in La Crosse, Wisconsin, have historically been available only to walk-in students; the online platform extends that instruction nationwide.
About the Founder Barney is a classically trained baker and pastry chef, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, and a three-time Food Network Baking Championship winner. She began her career as a wedding cake decorator and has worked across the Upper Midwest, designing specialty dessert lines and preparing confections for banquets, restaurants, and corporate events. At Meringue Bakery, Barney specializes in custom wedding cakes made with seasonal and locally sourced ingredients when possible, alongside edible flowers and hand-painted and sculpted designs. The bakery also offers seasonal items, party favors, pastries, and personalized desserts for corporate events.
Why It Matters
Retail bakeries often struggle to formalize training for counter and kitchen staff who lack culinary school credentials. Better Baker Academy's dual approach—professional team training and consumer education—targets two underserved markets in the baking space, potentially reducing onboarding costs for operators while expanding Barney's reach beyond her physical location.
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Written by FBM Publications Editors
