This Oklahoma Baker Is One of The Nation’s State Fair Elites

We're almost a month away from the Oklahoma State Fair, and soon county fairs will be coming up. Some of the best competitions at fairs are the baked goods. Oklahomans take pride in their fair wins, but there's one Oklahoman who has some of the most blue ribbons in the entire country.

For those who are familiar with state fairs and the baking competitions, they'll know that the bakers who enter are amazing at baking. But not everyone is familiar with these competitions! Now Netflix has a show dedicated to the yummy fair bakers. Netflix premiered its new series Blue Ribbon Baking Championship on Friday, August 9, putting fair baking on a bigger stage.

Who is Oklahoma's best state fair baker?

Although no one from Oklahoma is competing in the new Netflix series, The New York Times recently highlighted some of the best state fair bakers across the nation. And listed amongst the seven bakers is Pamela Kloiber from Oklahoma City! Here's what The New York Times learned about Kloiber and her fair baking achievements.

• She has 1,607 ribbons for her bakes, including Best of Show. She also has awards from competitions sponsored by some legendary baking brands, include Kerr and Bell, Certo Sure-Jell and C&H Sugar. Because she has so many blue ribbon wins, she has 27 special medallions and 56 sweepstakes awards.
• Kloiber is a retired middle school teacher, and she currently serves as the executive director of Team Tinker Home Away From Home. She founded the program at Tinker Air Force Base to help airmen stationed in Oklahoma City feel more at home by having volunteers invite them over for meals and activities. She also uses the airmen that come to her home every Sunday as test subjects for her bakes.
• Her most significant blue ribbon win was actually at the Oklahoma State Fair! In 2017 she won the cookie jar competition, which requires contestants "to stack four to seven types of cookies in a gallon jar decorated with that year's theme." During that year, she had completed breast cancer treatment and her mother was in the hospital dying.
• Her pro tip for baking is to "exercise precision and patience." And her best bake is her chocolate cake, which has won her "the title of championship baker five times."
• Last year, Kloiber entered her bakes in 95 categories. As for her upcoming fair competitions, she's looking to enter 30 jellies and jams and possibly more entries.

Good luck, Pam!

She'll be a top contender at the fairs this year! If you're checking out the Oklahoma State Fair this year, take a look at the baking competitions and see if you can find her bakes! She's definitely a state fair baking legend.

READ MORE: The Oklahoma State Fair Is Introducing A Ton of New Things in 2024