{"id":28294,"date":"2025-10-31T17:46:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T17:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/28294\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T17:46:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T17:46:10","slug":"3-local-chefs-compete-to-bring-food-network-wins-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/28294\/","title":{"rendered":"3 local chefs compete to bring Food Network wins home"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Food Network\u2019s Halloween Baking Championship in the rear-view (no spoilers, in case you haven\u2019t watched theme park pastry pro Alan Arras compete<\/a> yet!), the slate has been cleared for all the winter-season competition shows.<\/p>\n

And Orlando has not one, but three locals in the mix!<\/p>\n

From the Wizarding World to the Winter Wars to the Holiday Baking Championships, let\u2019s meet the Orlandoans you\u2019ll be rooting for while you batch up your own cakes and cookies for the season.<\/p>\n

Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking<\/p>\n

Season Two of this all-things-Potter baking competition<\/a> is first up, debuting on Nov. 2, where you\u2019ll want to keep your eyes on chocolatier Katie Bonzer<\/a> (instagram.com\/katiebonzerchocolatier) as she keeps hers on the prize.<\/p>\n

Military-raised, Bonzer was born in Spain and raised around the world but claims Michigan\u2019s Upper Peninsula as her home base. It was there that she and her husband (also a pastry chef) owned and operated three restaurants in the cities of Gwinn and Marquette before relocating to Orlando, where at first Bonzer worked at Walt Disney World.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter two years, I was ready to reopen a business. Practical Chocolate<\/a> serves the great Orlando area for wholesale chocolate bonbons, decor and showpieces for luxury hotels, resorts and restaurants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Epic Universe preview: An early walk (and rides) in the park<\/a><\/p>\n

Translation: Bonzer, a Le Cordon Bleu Pasadena grad, is bringing serious skills to the show, though competitive TV baking was never on her radar.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m asked to do TV about twice a month, but it\u2019s never been part of my career goals,\u201d Bonzer told the Orlando Sentinel. \u201cBut when \u2018Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking\u2019 Season One came out, I was awestruck because I am an absolute, life-long Harry Potter megafan. My schedule had conflicts for Season One, and I was so grateful for the team to remember me and give me another opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bonzer says the group of 16 contestants clicked instantly and had inside jokes by the end of the first day.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one took themselves too seriously, which made for an explosively funny and creative environment. We are very culturally and globally diverse and I believe that amalgamation is what created so much interest in each other and camaraderie as we all took this huge leap of faith together to film so far away from home, in London.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tune in to watch Bonzer alongside Potter series cast members James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley), with judges Carla Hall and Jozef Youssef, plus additional Harry Potter stars.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe cast of Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship, Season 12, which debuts Nov. 3. (Courtesy Food Network)
\nHoliday Baking Championships<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t want to wait a whole week to root for the home team, you\u2019re in luck, because Holiday Baking Championships debuts the very next night, on Nov. 3. This time, it\u2019s a Walt Disney World veteran who\u2019ll be baking for the 407.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen one of the most iconic hotels invites you to work there, you just need to pack your bags and go,\u201d says Brazilian native Jean Carlos, pastry chef at the Walt Disney World Swan<\/a> hotel. \u201cBefore Orlando, I used to live in Atlanta, where I worked for both The Ritz-Carlton and Intercontinental Hotels.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not Carlos\u2019s first televised rodeo. He cut his TV teeth in 2021 on a show in his home country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat one was more focused on cakes,\u201d he explains. \u201cMy interest in being on a TV show is because I like to challenge myself and be able to tell my story through the desserts.\u201d<\/p>\n

That story goes back to when Carlos was 10 years old.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe moved next door to a bakery and from my window I was able to watch people work there,\u201d he says. \u201cThat gives me a sprinkle!\u201d<\/p>\n

Learning new skills and how to perform under pressure is great, he says, but the hardest part of competition shows is waiting to be judged.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The experience] was a mix of emotions, but we had a lot of fun\u2026. I was so impressed with the set; they built the most cute little Christmas village in the middle of the kitchen. And this year, we have a new format: we separated into two groups, Team Nice and Team Naughty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find out if Carlos was \u201cnice\u201d enough for judges Duff Goldman, Nancy Fuller and Kardea Brown when you tune in and watch.<\/p>\n

\"PastryPastry chef Fran\u00e7ois Paille, chef\/partner of Winter Park’s Croissant Gourmet, will compete on the all-new Food Network show “Sweet Empire: Winter Wars,” debuting Nov. 9. (Courtesy Food Network)
\nSweet Empire: Winter Wars<\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ois Paille hails from Strasbourg, France, but he\u2019s a veteran of the Orlando food scene, beginning with and circling back to Winter Park\u2019s beloved Croissant Gourmet<\/a>, where he is a chef\/partner. In between, Paille logged time with Norman\u2019s (the Ritz-Carlton original) and helped open My French Cafe in Winter Garden.<\/p>\n

Paille specialized in chocolate during his time learning in Lyon, but there\u2019s surely luck in the layers of lamination skills he\u2019ll bring to his peers on this brand-new show, where bakers battle to build their teams, shape their vision and rise to snag the bragging rights \u2014 not to mention $50,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, pastry has almost been about making people smile,\u201d says Paille, who has been baking since he was a child in his grandmother\u2019s kitchen. \u201cWhen the opportunity came to join \u2018Sweet Empire,\u2019 it felt like the right moment to \u2026 take on a new kind of challenge. I wanted to represent Croissant Gourmet, meet amazing chefs who share the same love for the craft and hopefully inspire people through creativity and passion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even with formidable chops, Paille found the experience intimidating.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had the chance to use all my skills as a chocolatier and a fine dining pastry chef, but the challenge was to work in a scene that is far from the ideal conditions. I\u2019m used to stress in the kitchen, but this was different, being constantly filmed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tasty theming makes the Epic Universe worlds even more immersive<\/a><\/p>\n

Though he can\u2019t say too much about what will unfold on the show \u2014 \u201cin the first episode, I tried to eat more than I can chew and overloaded myself with a lot of work\u201d \u2014 Paille says the experience was a pleasure and honor.<\/p>\n

In this new show, bakers will battle to build their teams, shape their vision and rise to sweet supremacy\u2026 or crumble trying. Hosted by Wells Adams with Yolanda Gampp and Jacques Torres, only the most daring creations will stand tall. At stake: $50,000.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to root for Orlando, foodie fans. Hopefully, all three chefs bring some prize money home for the holidays.<\/p>\n

Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram\u00a0@amydroo<\/a>\u00a0or on the OSFoodie Instagram account\u00a0@orlando.foodie<\/a>. Email:\u00a0amthompson@orlandosentinel.com<\/a>, For more foodie fun, join the\u00a0Let\u2019s Eat, Orlando Facebook group<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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