Food Network’s new competition show, “The Ultimate Baking Championship,” is putting elite pastry chefs to the test.
Hosted by Jesse Palmer, the show will bring in sixteen pastry chefs from around the country to compete in a series of challenges that test core techniques that every pastry chef should master, from laminated dough and pâte à choux to sugar and chocolate work. Each week, standing judge Duff Goldman will be joined by a baking legend to determine who will move on and who will get eliminated.
By the end of the competition, one pastry chef will go home with a $50,000 grand prize. Guest judges include Bryan Ford, Amaury Guichon, Shinmin Li, Jacques Torres, Sherry Yard, Molly Yeh and Zac Young.
Among those competing is Brooklyn’s own Cesar Ryan Sajulan, a local pastry chef known for his creativity. The Philippines-born baker fell in love with desserts when he moved to the states.
“I grew up in the Philippines, it’s a tropical country where desserts are straight-up fresh fruits. It just made me realize that I want to use ingredients that [make people say] that’s a great dessert,” said Sajulan. I took my culinary experience from the Philippines through my schooling and then moved here to America and fell in love with desserts.”
Sajulan told amNewYork that he was thrilled to compete on “The Ultimate Baking Championship,” calling it an honor to be chosen for the competition. This is his first time cooking on television, and the whole experience was surreal for Sajulan.
“It really didn’t sink in with me at first. When they finally said, ‘You’re gonna go to the competition, you’re gonna fly to California for this,’ it was unbelievable,” said Sajulan. “It’s my first time being on TV, it was just shocking.”
For Sajulan, it was the kitchen itself that was the combination of the actual set as well as the techniques showcased in “The Ultimate Baking Championship” that made the show so impressive.
“I think it’s one of the most finessed types of baking competitions that I’ve seen or compared to other shows I’ve seen on TV,” said Sanjulan. “The setting of the kitchen itself, it speaks for everything. So you would expect nicer, finer plating or like types of dessert techniques that we’re looking forward to seeing on the TV and things that are high-end types of desserts or plating or things that compete that you would see on the show.”
Sajulan says that viewers can look forward to not only seeing top-notch desserts get made but also learn a little more about the people making the treats as well.
“They’re gonna be looking forward for all the stories of each chef and then the story behind the dessert that we’re creating and the techniques and the execution that we’ve been doing and showing on the show,” said Sajulan.
“The Ultimate Baking Championship” premieres on March 9 at 9 pm ET on Food Network.
