Full Title: Poe Pizzazz, Bakesmith Extraordinaire
Founder of: Pizzazzlefraz's Boxed Breads
Poe had many names during their long and profitable career. "The Nomad Kneader of the North", "The Wandering Flour", "Yeasty One-Eye", and "That Dirty Bread Goblin" were the most common. No matter a person's opinion of Poe and his business however, everyone knew he was the second fastest Bakesmith in the Northern Clay Hills. His goblin tribe says he was born with dough in his hands and his first act, before even taking a breath, was to shape it into a loaf and put it in a fire.
During Poe's early years he was wild and adventurous. They had grown up hearing about the great armies of Vza and how they united many races against human tyranny. Poe in many ways was inspired. He led raiding parties, helped bring goblin tribes together, and was always up for a bit of combat. Quickly, though, he realized the world was not the one left behind by the elders. The planet was dying, human tyranny was replaced by a shared struggle for survival. This led Poe to seek out Bakesmithing as a way to unite many races instead of instigating wars designed to only unite goblins.
Poe's first business adventure was making small pretzels. They could store well and travel long distances. However transporting and refilling the water pots became an issue. This led to Poe setting up a permanent structure for the pretzel boiling process. They were set in the sun to dry for transport. The pretzels could then be baked only while traveling. This saved significant time and space while on the move.
Changing the method gave room for competitors to publicly question Poe. A new series of Bakesmiths came into the market each with their own travelling styles. Soon a gathering of competitive Bakesmiths formed. They made a plan to discredit Poe by hosting a speed baking competition after practicing it themselves but before publicly announcing anything. The idea was to have an edge over Poe, and really ham up the fastest baking part. If Poe did not win it would be a hit to his marketing surrounding pretzels being quick to make. Secretly at this time Poe happened to be studying simple magic.
When word finally reached him he knew the advantage could be turned in his favor with some deception. He hired a number of temp Bakesmiths. During their employment he talked about concern over the competition. Then Poe sent them to various towns and, once their, promptly suspended employment until after the competition. This irritated a number of the employees who tried to get back at Poe by leaking what they thought was his concern. The stage was set for the competition's hosts to think they had a winning strategy.
Day of the competition Poe arrived with with only wheat, yeast, a small flask of water, and a clean new haircut. For the first 30 minutes Poe went into the hills and collected several pounds of the most glorious clay in all the land. He weaved two strands of grass together to use as a clay cutting wire. Poe cut a perfect square out of the clay, then hollowed a spherical interior to it. At this time a majority of the Bakesmiths had nearly completed their projects. Poe added ingredients into the clay container, capped it, and spent a few minutes shaking it around. Poe carefully placed the clay block on the ground then told the other Bakesmiths to stand back from the project line.
Poe was not taken seriously at first. Once he began to cast a spell however the other Bakesmiths took note and stood way back. He cast a perfectly shaped wall of fire over everyone's baked goods, each station having a different and appropriate amount of heat applied to it. Each dish was cooked better than the last. Only one Bakesmith was able to recover from the shock. Poe politely allowed them to bring their goods to be judged first and, with a bow, brought his own in second.
The judges announced Poe as the second fastest Bakesmith. They cracked open the clay, a perfect sphere of bread and crust fell free, and after tasting they also declared Poe to have unquestionably won the competition in all other regards. This result completely drowned the other Bakesmiths' reputations. Poe officially named their operation Pizzazzlefraz's Boxed Breads and was able to move intercontinentally.
Poe would go on to perform in several other challenges throughout their life. The extravagant way these challenges were handled brought in a lot of public attention and changed Cheffery from a standard job to near celebrity status. Chef's Challenges have their roots in Poe's first big competition and the following culture of other chefs and Bakesmiths trying to topple Poe's reputation.