Interviews are part of the job for the new Bread Queens: Tatjana Krechel already loves her new role, she says. Here she can promote her craft and bread itself. (Photo: © BIV West)
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July 1, 2026
Tatjana Krechel and Leon Kirchner are the new Bread Queen and Bread King of the Rhineland-Westphalian baking trade. Both are master bakers and passionate about their craft.
Master baker Tatjana Krechel from Emmelshausen is the new bread queen of the bakers' guild association West : Together with master baker Leon Kirchner from Meinerzhagen, she will promote her craft for three years.
The 31-year-old was born with a love for the baker's craft. When she met Caroline Puppe, the reigning Bread Queen from the Puppe bakery in Neuss, at the German Bread Day in Bonn last year, Tatjana Krechel was thrilled. "I thought that was really cool," she says. A year later, she now holds the title herself.
The master baker was officially crowned the new Bread Queen at the "Day of German Bread" in Essen . For three years, she and Bread King Leon Kirchner (28) will represent their craft for the West German Bakers' Guild Association (BIV). The association represents 35 guilds in North Rhine-Westphalia and parts of Rhineland-Palatinate.
During the application process, Tatjana Krechel impressed the association not only with her enthusiasm for bread, but also with her career path. She comes from a family of bakers in Emmelshausen in the Hunsrück region (Rhineland-Palatinate).
Operations management
Operations management
Operations management
The Krechel bakery was founded in 1936 by her great-grandfather and is now run by her father, the third generation. He always said, "Only do it if you enjoy it," she recounts. There was never any pressure. But Tatjana Krechel was already helping out in the business at the age of 15.
After finishing school, she completed her apprenticeship as a bakery sales assistant in Koblenz. She then gained experience in sales and later as a branch manager in a bakery in Bavaria. "That's when I decided I wanted to take over our family business one day." Back home, she completed her apprenticeship as a baker in Boppard, followed by her master baker's course and further training as a business administrator in the skilled trades. She is also involved with "Bäko Snackkultur" (Bakery Snack Culture).
The handover of the bakery and confectionery with 26 employees, a main branch, two sales vans and a Saturday bread roll service to the fourth generation is taking place step by step: "I don't want to come and change everything. I can see what my father has built up over the years."
As Bread Queen, she primarily wants to showcase the opportunities that skilled trades offer. "After your apprenticeship, it doesn't have to end; you can always continue your education – and even become Bread Queen." She also plans to make the title visible in her own business: with posters, social media, and a bread tasting. "I want to inspire people with a love of bread."
Leon Kirchner also plans to become self-employed and wants to take over the bakery where he works in 2027. The 28-year-old father of a family discovered his passion for baking early on: He was already fascinated by the profession in kindergarten when, during a field trip to a small bakery, he was allowed to braid crocodiles out of yeast dough.
At 13, he completed his first internship at a bakery. Later, he completed his apprenticeship at the Voss-Mühle bakery in Meinerzhagen in the western Sauerland region (North Rhine-Westphalia). He then gained further experience at two other bakeries and subsequently earned his master baker's certificate at the First German Baking Academy in Olpe.
Today, Leon Kirchner is back at the Voss-Mühle bakery, getting to know the business intensively and pursuing a clear goal: in 2027 he wants to become self-employed and take over the Voss-Mühle bakery.
"Our Bread Queens represent the Rhineland-Westphalian baking trade with passion, expertise, and great enthusiasm for bread. Both know from their own experience what this craft is all about: from an early start in the bakery or sales, through sound training, to master craftsman qualifications," says Susanne Kosche, Marketing Consultant and Social Media Manager at the West German Bakers' Guild Association. "Tatjana Krechel and Leon Kirchner represent a young generation in the trade that values tradition, takes responsibility, and wants to actively shape the future."
The title of Bread Queen has existed since 2007, initially under the auspices of the Rhineland Bakers' Association, reports Susanne Kosche. In 2019, the Rhineland Bread Queen became the Rhineland-Westphalian Bread Queen, who at that time was supported by two Bread Princesses.
"However, in the third decade of the 21st century, it was time for us to modernize the role and openly advertise the official duties. The result was something special for us: For the first time, a Bread Queen and a Bread King were crowned. With Tatjana Krechel and Leon Kirchner, this model now enters its second generation."
MEP Katarina Barley is the new Bread Ambassador ➡️The German Bakers' Confederation selects a Bread Ambassador each year . This year it is Katarina Barley, Vice-President of the European Parliament and member of the SPD party executive committee. Read more here
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