Spring Baking Championship Season 8: Meet the Contestants

Annabella from Fort Lauderdale, FL, has been working as the lead pastry chef at the Riverside Hotel since 2017. She loves to share her sugary creations on social media, especially the gorgeous tortes and cakes she makes for her job and her loved ones.

After establishing himself as a popular pastry chef in Sicily, this Italian native decided it was time to fulfill his American dream, and moved to the U.S. in 2012. Now living in Houston, TX, he opened La Sicilia Italian Bakery & Cafe in March 2018 as a way to pay homage to his hometown roots and share authentic Italian treats.

Yohan is the executive sous chef of banquets and pastry at Grand Hyatt Nashville and graduated first in class from the Culinary Institute of America. Born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in New York, integrating local and global influences has always been an essential part of Lee’s approach to creating mouthwatering pastries.

Justin is the owner and pastry chef of JC Desserts, an online dessert boutique known for its modern cakes, pastries and chocolates. The Virginia native faces a unique challenge in the competition: he’s colour blind.

“It’s a springtime show, and knowing that, being extra-colourful with the food or desserts that are going to be created was going to be a hurdle,” Ross told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “This would be one way to really push me… and hopefully be an inspiration to someone else who may see themselves with some type of disability or thinking they’re at a disadvantage and overcoming that.”

Romuald is a French pastry chef living in Los Angeles. His signature dessert? Eclairs, of course! Born in Northern France, Guiot is a third-generation culinary professional and has learned the art of baking from his grandfather and father. As a graduate of CEPROC, one of the most reputable culinary organizations in the world, Guiot is no stranger to competitions. He won the La Pomme d’Or in 2011 at the 28th Annual U.S. Pastry Competition and has worked as a head pastry chef for many prestigious European and American establishments.

Jalessa is from New York City, where she runs a pastry and custom cake shop with her husband. She previously worked at Buddy Valastro‘s Carlo’s Bakeshop as a cake decorator and trained at the Culinary Institute of America. Piping is Jalessa’s favourite part of cake decorating and she enjoys teaching others the craft, too.

Hailing from Honolulu, Hawaii, Carolyn is a talented chef with a unique foray into the cake world – she used to work as a toxicologist. After deciding to follow her passion into professional baking, Carolyn worked as a pastry lead for The Venetian Las Vegas. She then ran her own successful custom cake business called Caked. Carolyn is currently a pastry chef at Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa.

Tom is the head of Culinary Development and Training at the popular Magnolia Bakery in New York City, famous for its iconic banana pudding. In the summer of 2020, Smallwood partnered with Ron-Ben Israel (from Food Network Canada’s The Big Bake) to create a new venture called Ron Ben Israel treats, where the two sold cookies, mini cakes and macarons for over a year.

“Appearing on Food Network has always been a large goal of mine,” he told AMNY. “I wanted to compete or have my own show or just get to share stuff I make with people. It was always a large goal of mine in some way shape or form.”

Based in Austin, Texas, this executive pastry chef is no stranger to reality TV. Dennis appeared in Netflix’s baking competition, Sugar Rush, in 2018 and was part of the winning duo in that season. He spoke with Austin Monthly more about why he enjoys entering competitions so much.

“Getting into this career was difficult for my parents to understand,” he said. “So, it was validation for proving to them that I made the right choice…and that this was the right path for me.”

Jenniffer Woo is the executive pastry chef at Charlie & Joe’s at Love Street in Jupiter, Florida. Originally from Naples, Florida, Woo grew up watching Chef Emeril Lagasse on the Food Network. Jenniffer knew she wanted to be a pastry chef since she was 15. One fun fact about Jennifer is that she’s a twin!

Kim Wood is the owner of Le Bánh Patisserie, a French bakery in Simsbury, Connecticut. According to a recent interview with Hartford Courant, Wood specializes in elegantly decorated cakes, tarts, cookies and cannelés Bordelais, a rum-vanilla pastry with a caramelized crust and custard. Born in Vietnam and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Wood has always appreciated how French and Vietnamese pastries shared similar flavours, textures and ingredients. 

Alexis is a 25-year-old pastry chef from Carlsbad, San Diego. Raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Wells moved to the sunshine state to attend the San Diego Art Institute for a bachelor’s degree in culinary management and a baking and pastry certificate. In addition to having a few of her bakery businesses, she works as an executive chef and manager at The Goods, a famous bakery known for its gourmet doughnuts and seasonal croissants.