12-year-old baker hopes to beat the odds competing on Food Network’s ‘Kids Baking Championship’
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HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (WPMT) — 2020 is getting a whole lot sweeter for a group of 12 kids battling to take home the top prize in season nine of ‘Kids Baking Championship’ on the Food Network.
The first episode of the season nine doesn’t air until Friday, but FOX43 caught up with one of the lucky bakers looking to beat out the competition.
One of those young bakers just so happens to be from South Central Pennsylvania. 12-year-old Jonah Anderson from Harrisburg said it was an honor to be on the show that inspired him to get into the kitchen and start baking in the first place.
At 12-years-old and landing a spot on the show — you might be thinking Jonah had some guidance and maybe a few years of experience in the kitchen, but that’s not the case!
“My parents or my family aren’t really bakers, so I am the first tradition. I think it was last year I made my brother’s birthday cake and it turned out pretty well for my first time,” Jonah said.
With only a little over a year of experience, Jonah has had a passion for French pastries and his “go-to” dishes… are pretty advanced! He’s made Crème Brule, cupcakes, croissants, cakes, and even calls French Macaroons one of his specialties.
Jonah said qualifying for the show can be a lengthy process. From sending in photos and videos, to filling out an application he eventually was told “We’ll call you back in two weeks.”
“They we’re the longest two weeks of my life,” said Jonah.
Eventually, he made it through — landing a spot on the show, which in addition to YouTube, inspired him to get in the kitchen in the first place. He said he was so honored and excited, but it did come with some challenges.
“One of the struggles is time crunch, on tv it looks so easy but when you’re actually there it goes so much quicker than you’d expect,” explained Jonah.
And of course, having to keep one of the biggest and most exciting secrets ever! Contestants can’t tell anyone about what’s going on behind the scenes.
Although we don’t know the outcome of the show yet, as far as Jonah’s future in baking goes — he hopes to have a food truck one day, and eventually own a café in Paris!
The winner of the competition will receive the title of Kids Baking Champion, $25,000, and a spot in Food Network Magazine.
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