Being on Food Network
Just the title of this alone is something that sends chills down my spine because it’s surreal that I’m actually writing about it. Appearing on Food Network, whether it was for a single episode or winning a whole series, was a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I will say that Halloween Baking Championship was a show I didn’t initially see myself on, but as my food career has progressed, I started saying yes to everything, and I wasn’t going to turn down an opportunity to see one of my dreams become a reality, even if it was for a show I wasn’t the best fit for.
I’ve applied for probably 6 different baking competitions over the years and made it to a Skype interview for 2 of them, Halloween being one of them. Both shows I had interviews for, I was reached out to about. I didn’t initially apply. I was discovered by the headhunters on social media and was encouraged to apply because I looked like a good fit, which was super motivating because it told me I was doing something right. I’ve always wanted to expand into TV after publishing my book and continuing to grow my social media presence. I love entertaining and teaching and TV is the best way to do it.
When I made it on Halloween Baking Championship for Food Network, it didn’t even feel real until I arrived at the studio for filming. That was a very bittersweet moment because I was super proud of making it on the show, which is not easy by any means, but I saw who I was up against. This show in particular was focused on artistic desserts, which was never my forte. I was up against cake artists and sculptors, bakery owners, bakers who made things I had never attempted. For a moment, I wondered why I was even there. It crossed my mind that I was cast purely for personality, which isn’t unheard of even for food competitions. I am confident in my skills and talents, especially now, but at the time, I did have some moments of doubt as to how far I would make it. At the end of the day, I had my doubts, but I filed those away and celebrated the fact that my dream was coming true, and I made it on Food Network. I didn’t care if my exposure would be tiny or huge, I just cared that something I always dreamt of was finally happening.
There are a lot of things I am not allowed to say about the show in terms of filming and how things work on set, but I will say that it was both the most stressful and most exciting time of my life. All your knowledge is put to the test on a timer, and you have to literally give it all you got to stay there. Spoiler alert, I went home first. That was something I never wanted. At first, I didn’t really care, because I was just proud of making it on the show, especially compared to who I was competing against. I think it was right for me to go home first, because everyone else had such inconceivable levels of talent, plus they had been baking professionally longer than me. I respect them all too much to have any negative feelings towards them. Even though I was only there a few days, I made friends I’ll keep forever because of the deep level of understanding we developed for each other in such a short period of time. I’ve been baking for years, but I haven’t ever been surrounded by other bakers who share the same passion and enthusiasm or understanding for the art. Being in a group of people all like me in that sense, I felt a sense of comfort and acceptance that I never feel, because I’m mostly doing this by myself. Sure, I have those in my life who support me and see me regularly, but they aren’t bakers or people who have the knowledge and understanding that I do.
Going home first did a lot to me. I was really upset with myself because I didn’t want my short time on the show to be the audience’s determination of all my skills. My two desserts on the show were total flops and not reflective of what I’m capable of, and the thought of that still haunts me. I don’t want to look like an idiot who was out of place. Ever since I got home from filming, I’ve invested so much time and energy on practicing and perfecting my skills, posting as much quality content as possible so that by the time the show aired, I could at least prove that I do know what I’m doing. Being on that show showed me exactly what I needed to work on and being around a group of such talented bakers showed me what I was capable of, and how to get where I want to be.
Regardless of my performance on the show, I am so proud. I am proud that I was able to create my own brand out of nothing, and progress so much that I made it on a TV show. I am so proud of how much better I’ve gotten since being on the show, and I am so proud to be associated with those who were on it with me. All of this just goes to show that you can’t give up on your dreams, because they’ll come true when you least expect it.
