Marta Mazur, owner of Krakus Polish Deli & Bakery, contest chair and sponsor of the event.
YOUNGSTOWN — An organization celebrating Slavic tradition and heritage invited five non-professional bakers to compete in the 2026 Slavic Baking Contest on Sunday in Youngstown.
Simply Slavic celebrated the organization’s 15th Anniversary by recognizing 15 years of baking and “250 Years of American Freedom,” highlighting the generations of immigrants who brought recipes and tradition to the Mahoning Valley.
“All these Slavic countries kind of share different traditions,” Marta Mazur, owner of Krakus Polish Deli & Bakery and 2026 contest chair, said. “Everybody will call it something else, but they’ll be basically a fried dough with powdered sugar on it. So, different cultures do different recipes, but it’s all the same thing.”
Mazur was the winner of the 1st Simply Slavic Baking Contest in 2011, and says the win inspired her to open the deli and bakery in Boardman.
Mazur also mentioned that she hopes the event inspires someone else to open a bakery of their own.
Participants were encouraged to submit baked goods with Slavic roots, including pastries, breads, cookies, cakes, and traditional desserts representing cultures from across Eastern Europe.
The baking competition acts as a “kickoff party” for the Simply Slavic Festival, which takes place June 26 through June 28 at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater. The festival will recognize the baking contest winners and host other bakers as well, Mazur said.
According to a release, remaining baked goods from the contest will support Simply Slavic cultural programming, scholarships and educational initiatives.
Krakus Polish Deli & Bakery was the sponsor of Sunday’s competition.
The baking contest took place at SMARTS inside the Ohio One Building on East Boardman Street.
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