More Food Network Pictures!

Behind-the-scenes pictures from my first Food Network Challenge

Disney Classics Cakes

This episode premeired on Food Network on March 15, 2009.

It will air in rotation. Check the Food Network website for air times.

All of the four competitors were assigned a film crew for the day. That's my cameraman, Greg. He saw and heard everything I did that day.
Judge Kerry Vincent is actually very sweet. Much unlike her stern persona on TV. I got her laughing early in the day. She's a kitten!

Half way through the day my assistant, Heather, and I were so tired already. I think this is the only laugh we had that day. It was much needed.

I love this moment. Heather is peeling off the red brick stencil from our chimney cake. The judges loved it. Our other judge, Patrick Coston, actually gave us a "wow."

The judges were always hovering around us. They never gave us many insights into what they were thinking. They would slip away throughout the day to talk smack about all of us to the cameras. We didn't know what they said until we saw the episode.

Putting Mary Poppins' head on. It all started to come together.

ARGHHH! I'm so tired at this point. Getting all my white gumpaste elements airbrushed black, hoping they would dry in time to place on the cake. With one hour left I felt like I wanted to give up. But I kept going and finished the cake in time.

Moving this heavy cake was the last thing we had to do. Then I faced the judges.

The winning cake!! "Pinocchio" by Richard Ruskell, Montage Resort in Beverly Hills, CA

"Sleeping Beauty" by Grace Chyun, Sweet Gems Cakes in Huntington Beach, CA

"Snow White" by Ashley Vicos, Atlanta, GA

Me with the host of Food Network Challenge, Keegan Gerhard.