But who makes the best panettone? While the bread originates from Milan, Italy, it was a team of Taiwanese bakers who claimed the world title in the 2025 Panettone World Championship. The team was led by Giovanna Chen Shih-chieh – crowned “the new panettone queen” by the competition – who started as a self-taught baker.
Chen credits the win to her teammates and attributes her own success to an unstructured childhood rather than a lifelong fascination with baking.
The team of Taiwanese bakers, led by Giovanna Chen Shih-chieh (second from right), celebrate after winning the 2025 Panettone World Championship in Milan, Italy, in October 2025. Photo: courtesy of Giovanna Chen
“Both my parents worked,” Chen recounts. “I understood from a young age that they needed to earn money first for us to have a better life. While they didn’t have a lot of time to spend with me, that meant I had a lot of free time and was by myself.
This lack of pressure allowed Chen the freedom to pursue her interests. While her friends shied away from school-related topics, Chen took a keen interest in English and pursued it as an extracurricular activity.
“My mother was very supportive of whatever interests I took up, so I went to English classes after school,” the baker recalls. “When I got to high school, I really wanted to put what I learned into practice and asked my parents to sign me up for a student exchange programme.”