The Big Bake Season 2: Meet the Talented Teams of Bakers

Jeff Taylor has been baking for 13 years, and he’s also a firefighter so he knows how to put out a fire in the kitchen! His unique approach to cake-making involves power tools, which he uses to create amazing designs with a focus on movement and lighting. Jeff’s teammates are Shalana and Kathleen, his wife and co-owner of Sweet T’s Bakery who has a talent for flavour combinations.

Jamie-Lynn Pokrzywka’s business was inspired by her unique love of sports and baking. She is known for her finer detail work and she loves making cakes look as realistic as possible. She’s made a cake that looks like a real turkey and even a life-size chair where she used a specific amount of shine in order to keep it as true-to-life as possible. Jamie-Lynn’s teammates are Kristen, her long-time friend from college who has exceptional planning and organization, and Fiona, an amazing baker and her right-hand woman at the bakery.

Cassie Curtis is a self-taught baker who started working in a bakery at just 11 years old. She’s now a renowned cake artist in her hometown of Coquitlam, BC and her custom creations won second place at both the “Make a Wish” Cake Competition and the British Columbia Wedding Awards (the latter when she was just 14!). Cassie’s teammates are Dalana, who specializes in structure and decorating, and Emily, who is a highly experienced baker.

Heather McGrath is a mostly self-taught baker who’s learned a lot from her industry peers. She loves creating delicious works of art and she often talks to her cakes while making them. Heather’s teammates are Corinna, a master modeler, and Debbie, a master baker.

A graduate of the Baking and Pastry Arts program at George Brown College, Kelly Wong specializes in fondant cakes, 3D character cakes and jumbo-sized cakes. She previously worked as a pastry chef in Shanghai. Kelly’s teammates are Amy, a highly skilled baker, and Jacqueline, who specializes in decorating.

Jenn Goldie from Prince George, BC is a home-based cake designer and graduate of the cake decorating course at the Pastry Training Centre of Vancouver. She loves the creativity involved in cake design and enjoys bringing her clients’ ideas to life. Jenn’s teammates are her friends Heather Nelson and Katie, whom she counts on for support both in and out of the kitchen.

Mark Robillard is a professional baker and cake decorator with more than 10 years of experience. He also hosts his own YouTube channel called Epic Confections, where he teaches viewers how to make epic cake creations. Mark’s teammates are Eleanor, who is clever and quick-thinking in the kitchen, and Mandy, who is known for her speedy prep and decorating skills.

Soraya Palma’s cake shop unfortunately had to close during COVID-19, but she is planning on opening a new store as soon as she can. She has her sights set on the big prize, along with her teammates Arian, who excels at construction and detail, and Jessica, who can tackle everything from flavour profiling, fondant and design.

Rachel Richmond is a custom cake maker who’s always looking to learn new techniques. Her favourite thing about baking is decorating the final product and adding texture and dimension to help bring it to life. She also loves the challenge of creating something no one expected to see in cake. Rachel’s teammates are Joelle, a great trouble-shooter and out-of-the-box thinker, and Riley, an energetic baker who specializes in sculpting fondant.

An award-winning cake artist and cookbook author, Christina Bjorn is a self-taught baker who honed her skills through online videos and lots of practice. At her Atlanta, GA bakery, she specializes in flavour balancing and strives to ensure everything she makes tastes as delicious as it looks. Christina’s teammates are her husband Akil and Latoshia, who are both super talented and amazing supportive partners in the kitchen.

Luisa Galuppo attended Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts School earning a diploma in pastry. She also studied cake decorating with the famous Bonnie Gordon in Toronto. Her favourite parts of baking are the creativity and the gifting of baked goods to family, friends and customers. She is especially invested in her sugar work, in particular sugar flowers. Her teammates are Emily, who is organized, meticulous and fearless, and Kelly, who is always trying her hand at new flavour combinations.

Maeve Rochford from San Diego, CA, is an award-winning baker who once made a floating sculpted shark that moved side-to-side and opened its jaws. She is best known for her custom cakes and pastries, and her over-the-top creations have featured levitation, holograms and glow-in-the-dark lighting. Her teammates are Manuel, who specializes in batters, creams and doughs, and Ray, a master of fondant, gum paste and chocolate.

Renee Loranger is a self-taught baker who loves entering competitions to learn new techniques. A former contestant on Halloween Baking Championship Season 6 and Season 7 (and the winner of the ladder!), she enjoys making colour palettes and prides herself on her colour-blending skills. Renee’s teammates are Aaron, a creative baker with a flair for flavours, and Michelle, a talented baker and positive force in the kitchen.

Chante’ Morgan is a certified Wilton instructor specializing in carved cakes that look like objects and characters. Her biggest bake was a church replica for a First Nation community that included a working bell tower and served 300 people. Chante’ has also built hanging cakes, purse cakes, and cakes that included fountains, smoke and ice. Her teammates are her husband Christopher, whose expertise is flavour profiles, and Corrine, who is skilled in fondant work.

With a degree in Fine Arts and Visual Arts from York University, Christina McKenzie has been a cake artist for 10 years. Her specialties are intricate details, sculpted cakes and sugar flowers. Christina’s teammates are Maria, who is highly skilled in sugar work and creating fondant figures, and Nicole, an experienced baker with an excellent eye for colour.

Jared Bugyi graduated with honours from Dubrulle International Culinary Arts at the Art Institute of Vancouver. He is now based in Regina, Saskatchewan and owns Queen City Cakes where he enjoys the fast pace and tight deadlines that come with baking (he loves making really cool cakes!) Jared’s teammates are Anissa and Megan, who both have a passion for cakes and incredible attention to detail.

After earning a degree in Engineering from McMaster University, Raquel France studied Pastry and Culinary Arts at Le Cordon Bleu. Her specialty is elegant custom cakes and her biggest bake to date was an award-winning Queen of Versailles cake that stood four feet tall! Raquel’s teammates are Carol, who’s known for her speed in the kitchen and flavour profiles, and Monica, whose specialty is fondant work and figure-building.

Danielle Power is the Operations Manager of Confetti Sweets in Edmonton. She graduated from the Pastry Arts program at the Culinary Institute of Canada. Her favourite part about baking is the joy it brings her customers, and she also enjoys taking a cake design idea and making it her own. Her teammates are Andrea, who is a work horse in the kitchen, and Marilou, who has a keen eye for detail.

Aside from one cake decorating class 14 years ago, Amy Taylor is a self-taught baker who honed her skills making cakes and desserts for family and friends. She loves trying new things in the kitchen, like figuring out the perfect flavour combinations and testing her skills and creativity to create unique and fun designs. Amy’s teammates are Michelle, who is skilled in stacking cakes and fondant work, and Lidjia, who frequently collaborates with Amy on recipes.

Eryn Smith comes from a long line of bakers and cake decorators (the Wilton yearbooks were her favourite bedtime stories!). After graduating from culinary school, she worked as a chef at a personal care home before making the switch to cake decorating. Eryn’s teammates are her mom Joyce, who is the best baker she knows, and her friend Tosh, who is highly skilled with a piping bag.

Tara Parsons is a self-taught baker who honed her skills watching online videos and reading cake magazines. She also picked up a few things from her aunt, who designed and decorated wedding cakes from her home. Tara loves designing cakes, as she enjoys dreaming up ideas and then bringing them to life. Her teammates are Amber, who always remains cool under pressure, and Krystina, who specializes in fondant and molding chocolate.

While Stacey MacIntyre has been creating cakes for almost 10 years, her artistry extends into other areas as well – she’s also an accomplished vocalist and painter! Stacy specializes in over-the-top custom cakes ​and her biggest bake was a full-size Upright Bass. Her teammates are Christy, who has exceptional cake decorating skills, and Jacky, who is known for her baking skills and competency in the kitchen.

After graduating with a degree in Psychology, William Lindsay-Smith studied Hotel Management in Mumbai, India before becoming interested in baking. William has been a guest instructor and speaker at various culinary schools in Vancouver and has also judged the professional baking competition at Canada’s Baking and Sweets Show. His specialty is creating different texture and flavour combinations. William’s teammates are Michelle, who is a talented sculptor, and Olivia, who is a strong piper.

While Kirsten Lund holds diplomas in both Professional Cooking and Pastry Making, her cake-making abilities are completely self-taught, as she only learned to make traditional French pastries in school. She loves creating figurines and sugar flowers for her cakes and getting into her “baking zone” while listening to music. Kirsten’s teammates are Carolanne, who is skilled in fondant, and Kara, who is known for her unique and delicious flavour combinations.

Kristen Eagles is a self-taught cake artist who loves experimenting with flavours. Her favourite part about cake making is the decorating because she loves turning icing and cake into something that looks more real than edible. Kristen also enjoys the challenge of creating art that needs to be made quickly before being consumed and taken apart just as quickly. Her teammates are Kirsten, who is a very detailed decorator, and Sara, who works quickly under pressure and has clean decorating skills.

Dianne Bednar is an experienced cake maker who honed her craft taking Cake Decorating, Baking and Pastry Arts courses at George Brown College as well as watching online tutorials and working at several bakeries and cake shops. She loves being creative and constructing edible art that makes someone’s special day. Her teammates are Jason, who has more than 20 years of culinary experience and an excellent knowledge of flavour pairings, and Yvonne, who is extremely talented at sculpting and cake decorating.

Originally a graphic designer, Amanda Jones changed careers to become a cake maker because of her “love of the bake.” However, her background has turned into an advantage because she constantly incorporates her graphic design skills into the creativity of her cake designs. Using her abilities, she is known for making cakes that look like real objects. Her teammates are Monique, who is referred to as the buttercream queen because of her flavour profiling skills, and Victoria, whose superpower is sugar work.

A graduate of Bonnie Gordon College and Le Cordon Bleu, Kenzie Goodall has been baking professionally since she was 15. After being diagnosed with celiac disease in her early 20s, Kenzie became passionate about allergy-free baking and now owns a bake shop in Oakville, ON that’s entirely gluten-free and nut-free (also the winner of Best Bakery in Oakville in 2019!). She loves making cakes with sculpted characters to add personality, humour and a story to her cakes. Kenzie’s teammates are Brettney and Victoria, who are both talented cake makers and can remain calm in stressful situations.

Kathie Dionne is a completely self-taught baker who now owns and operates her own custom cake shop. She loves sculpting and carving 3D cakes and adding the tiny details that bring them to life. Kathie’s teammates are Joanne, an extremely talented baker, and Kaleena, a former cake artist with many years of experience.

Natalie Nguyen is a self-taught baker from Toronto who gained her skills through a lot of trial and error. She loves the creative aspect of baking and being able to bring light and life to something edible. Natalie loves the challenge of working with colour and finding the right balance when mixing it with buttercream or fondant. Natalie’s teammates are Candice and Neteshia, who are both skilled cake makers with lots of patience in the kitchen.

Al is a third-generation baker with 26 years of experience. He is a trained pastry chef who specializes in wedding cakes, sugarcraft, and dynamic cakes. He is known for incorporating lights, movements, and pop-out surprises in his cakes. He is an expert in structure, sculpture, and large scale, life size cakes with movement. His teammates are James Hall, who is a cake sculptor with strong engineering skills and Reva Hawk, a trained pastry chef specializing in wedding cakes and flavours.

Team lead Justine is an experienced, award-winning cake designer who has been named Designer of the Year at the Ontario Wedding Awards as well as Young Entrepreneur of the Year. She is an expert at creating 3D sculptured cakes, anti-gravity cakes, and cakes with moving parts. Her biggest bake took place in 2019 when she created a moving chairlift cake for a Creative Decorating Competition. Justine’s teammates are Robert Burlington, whose expertise is balancing flavours and Jennifer Barney, who is skilled in edible flowers, hand-painting, and fine details.

Team lead Samantha is a self-taught baker who has used the internet and a decorating course to hone her skills. She feels happiest in the kitchen and finds baking both comforting and soothing. She truly enjoys the rituals, rhythms, and delicious smells while getting lost in the baking process. Her teammates are April, who has great energy and many baking talents, and Salome who has an amazing ability to translate ideas into art and sculpture.

Robert is an official pastry chef for Louis Vuitton and an Instructor at Le Cordon Bleu whose speciality is high-impact cakes with dynamic elements like flashing lights, circling drones, and cakes controlled by remote controls! Robert has a degree in Applied Arts from the Art Institute of Seattle. His teammates are Angela Sweetser, whose speciality is sugar work and fine details and Armando Farfan Jr., who often works with Robert on the structural skills aspects of big cake projects.

Team lead Brittany is a well-trained, award-winning baker. She holds a Certificate in Professional Baking & Pastry and has won the Snowflake Festival Baking competition twice. She has also been featured in local magazines for her big cake skills. Her biggest bake was a teetering Christmas tree cake that included a rotating Santa sleigh and eight reindeer. Her teammates are Jocelyn, a self-taught baker who specializes in sculpting and Alex, a Red Seal Baker who specializes in cake flowers.

Matt-Sam is not only the owner of his own bakery, but he is also the President of the Canadian Society of Sugar Artistry! He is a graduate of the Humber College Culinary Arts program and has experience incorporating lights, clocks, and gravity-defying elements into his cake designs. His biggest bake was an eight-tier wedding cake with hand-painted flowers. His teammates are Violeta, whose expertise is in colour theory and Juan, whose specialty is hand painting, modeling, and 3D structures.

Team lead Shanna is a very dedicated baker! She is mostly self-taught but did learn a lot by watching her mother in the kitchen. She developed her own style by combining her love for baking with her love of construction and building. Her teammates are Zeneka whose expertise is in the details, and Chanel who is a baking and pastry art student.

Theresa is known for her unique creative and custom novelty cakes in the Ottawa area. She specializes in carving cake and sculpting with fondant. She has lots of experience creating cakes with dynamic elements, including rotating and lighting features. Her teammates are Michelle, who is highly skilled at fondant work and whimsical character creations, and Madison who specializes in sculpting and icing decoration.

Team lead Sally is a classically trained pastry chef who attended Le Cordon Bleu. Although she didn’t learn much about decorating in culinary school, she took the discipline from her training into the baking world. She loves baking because of its therapeutic attributes and the ability to create new flavors. Her teammates are her twin sister Sherry who she is very connected with and she trusts to get the job done, and her mother, Mina who is very detail-oriented.

Team lead Karl is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy and is known as “The Pastry Ninja” for his sharp baking skills. His speciality is in the fine details and structural knowledge for big cakes. He is also skilled at creating dynamic cakes, like one that featured an anatomically correct heart that pumped “blood!” His teammates are Anjanette, who has many years of experience in the bakery business and Jocelyn, who specializes in 3D carving and structured cakes.

Cory Jong makes it his mission to have fun with his baking. He started as a bread baker, then moved into cupcakes, but finally settled on big cakes, including his biggest to date – a life-size wheelchair cake! He specializes in ‘nerdy and geeky’ custom sculpted cakes with a strong creative design. His teammates are Claudia, who specializes in 3D sculpting with fondant and gum paste, and Gwen who is new to professional baking but is known for her creativity and fresh look at cake making.

Darcy is known for designing and executing crazy and outlandish cakes for her clients in Edmonton and has some serious skills as a Journeyman Red Seal Pastry Chef. She has created all types of ambitious cakes including ones that spin, light-up, and have sound. She’s also designed and created a life-size Stanley Cup for an Edmonton Oilers reunion party. Her teammates are Hollas, whose specialty is 3D sculpting and flavour balancing and Emma, who specializes in precise, detailed piping as well as cake foundations.

Team lead Ashanti is the owner of her own cake shop in Toronto. With nine years of professional experience behind her, she specializes in custom sculpted novelty cakes, including a Canadian-themed four-tier wedding cake that earned fourth place in Canada’s Baking and Sweets Show competition. Her teammates are Angela, who specializes in cake mechanics, lights, and electrical designs, and Glady, who focuses on piping and fondant decorating.

Catherine is a renowned baker in her part of the country where she specializes in fondant sculpting and decorating. Her biggest bake to date is a four-and-a-half-foot wedding cake with working lights! Her teammates are Charlotte and Amanda who both have expertise in buttercream.

Emerlie is mainly a self-taught baker but she worked her way through different bakeries in a grocery store, cupcake shop, and in wedding cakes – which helped her hone her skills. After gaining that experience she decided to attend the Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts where she earned her Confectionary Art Diploma. Her teammates are Mandy, who specializes in 3D sculpture and Jen, whose expertise is in the large structures and hardware.

Team lead Cathy is as sweet as they come! With her cake shop in Vancouver, she is known for her buttercream and fondant cakes, as well as animated sculpted cakes with whimsical creative elements. She likes to create dynamic cakes that incorporate lights and rotation elements and has a background in structural builds. Her teammates are Andrea, who brings an amazing detailed-oriented approach to fondant sculpting, and Sarah who specializes in flavour profiles and fondant.

Sabrina is a graduate of École Hôtellière des Laurentides at Ste-Adèle and has held the positions of Second Pastry Chef at the famous Fairmont Château Lake Louise and Head Pastry Chef at Fairmont Le Château Montebello. She is best known for her structure, airbrush design, and creating dynamic cakes with lights and isomalt. In 2019, Sabrina took first place at Canada’s Baking and Sweets Show. Her teammates are Lee-Kassandra, whose expertise is in flavour and fine details and Benoit, whose focus is cake structure.

Beatriz learned the basics of baking from her mother at a young age and followed her passion by experimenting with recipes, reading books and researching online. Her favourite part about baking is the recipe development and the designing process and her strengths are in building complex structures and piping. Her teammates are Teresa, who is an incredible sugar artist, and Gisella who is an expert baker.

Team lead Damion is an award-winning baker who has been featured in prestigious international magazines and was the winner of the themed cake competition at the 2015 Canada’s Baking and Sweets Show. He is known for creating large dynamic cakes, including one that was five feet tall and another which included rotating parts and LED lights. His teammates are Fran, who has both technical and visual skills and will oversee the big cake flavour and Rechie, who creates 3D cakes with intricate details.

Audrey brings 20+ years of experience to The Big Bake. She specializes in creating 3D sculptured cakes that are visually stunning and have amazing flower work. She is known for unique flavour pairings like plum and barely or pickled herring caramel Swiss buttercream. Her teammates are Christy, an almost entirely self-taught baker known for her artistic piping abilities and Joyce, who specializes in colourful designers, fine details, and clean lines.

Team lead Sandra has more than 20 years of experience in addition to her degree in Foods and Nutrition and a diploma in Business Administration. Her biggest bake was a seven-tier wedding cake with an illuminated caved hollow using built-in lights. Her teammates are Shannon, who specializes in custom flavours and original recipes, and Sharon whose expertise is in structure, flowers, and buttercream.