North Vancouver home baker calls Great Canadian Baking Show 'surreal' after win
Jo Mandet has long been a fan of The Great Canadian Baking Show.
The show pits 10 home bakers against one another in high-pressure challenges to see who takes the, well, cake.
While she’d watched the show for several seasons, Mandet had never imagined joining in on the competition. That is, until her boss told her the auditions were coming to Vancouver — and that she should apply.
“The idea of actually being in the tent felt surreal,” she says. ” I don’t know if I would’ve had the courage to apply if my boss hadn’t mentioned the auditions were coming to Vancouver and told me I should just go for it.
“That encouragement was exactly what I needed to apply.”
The North Vancouver-based event planner joined the cast of Canadian
amateur
bakers, which included fellow B.C. bakers Burnaby’s Dan Vano and student Jennifer Tsang, for the ninth season of the show.
The Great Canadian Baking Show airs on CBC and CBC Gem, with the finale going live last weekend.
Looking back after winning the competition, Mandet notes “it was one of the most incredible experiences” of her life.
While she acknowledged the challenges were difficult, she felt completely in her element among her fellow competitors.
“I was supported, inspired, and constantly pushed to grow,” Mandet says. “It’s one of those rare experiences that I will treasure forever.”
Reality TV shows are often filled with highs, lows and their fair share of drama. For Mandet, the most memorable moment during the season came from a particular cake.
“The storybook cake was my ‘what on earth am I doing?’ challenge,” she says. “The day before the showstopper I had random elements and no cohesion. Luckily for me, in the tent, something fell into place and I’m super proud of the final result.”
Taking the competition with a “one-bake-at-a-time” approach, Mandet says she had hope that she would win, but was never sure exactly which way the competition would go until the very end.
“Even on the last day of baking I hoped I would win, but I never really let myself believe it,” she says.
As for what she’d say to other home bakers who are interested in testing their skills, Mandet wholeheartedly encourages them to follow in her footsteps and try out for the show.
“There’s nothing to lose, and it could very well turn out to be one of the most rewarding experiences of their life,” she says. “If you ever doubt yourself or feel like you’re not good enough, don’t worry, we all had imposter syndrome!”
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Source: vancouversun.com