Kathmandu, March 20 -- On Tuesday, Nepali Sanjiv Giri came second as he tried to defend his crown as the Best Baker in Denmark, which he won in 2022.

He also holds separate titles for the best baguette and the best cake in the Scandinavian country. All this was no cake walk in a country that gave us the 'Danish' takes baking rather seriously. So how did a Nepali end up as a top baker there?

Giri has baked his entire adult life, working at some of the best bakeries in Copenhagen as well as studying the craft in Paris. Last month, he opened Maison d'Brod (House of Bread) in Charlottenlund in the greater Copenhagen area.

"I have dreamt of running my own bakery my whole life," Giri, 39, told us on the phone from Copenhagen. He works 18 ...