‘Halloween Baking Championship’: Meet the Competitors

Photo: Food Network

An all-new season of “Halloween Baking Championship” gets underway on Monday, September 25. Host John Henson meets eight bakers into the Halloween Baking Kitchen where they will created their best treats to be critiqued by judges Carla Hall, Lorraine Pascale and Zac Young. One baker will be named Halloween Baking Champion and receive a $25,000 prize.The seven bakers this season vying for the prize include:  

Ray Vizcaino – San Diego, California

Ray, 30, practices the art of sugar as a wedding cake designer at Sugar and Scribe Bakery. After a stint in the Marines he decided to go to culinary school because he saw how happy desserts made people.

Jasmin Bell – Seattle, Washington

A pastry chef and instructor at Bells Pastries, Jasmin, 28, specializes in macarons and modernizing the traditional with a little touch of diva.

Cliff Butler – Austin, Texas

Cliff, 61, has a lot of confidence in his professional skills after being a pastry chef at The University of Texas and a pastry instructor at Le Cordon Bleu. He loves the scare-factor of Halloween and has a passion for old-school horror movies. He specializes in chocolate work and is ready to take on the younger competitors.

Andrea Kratville – Sonora, California

A self-taught baker, Andrea, 39, goes all out for Halloween. She is part of a paranormal group and believes in ghosts. Her passion for the macabre leads to a predilection for gory treats.

Jessica Scott – San Diego, Califfornia

Executive pastry chef at Puesto, Jessica, 27, takes Halloween very seriously and starts designing her costume eight months before the big day. Her desserts incorporate the element of surprise.

Jonathan Elias – Troy, Michigan

A pastry chef at Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse and creator of The Pastry Guru, Jonathan, 30, “lives, eats (and) breathes Halloween.” As a teenage he used to run a haunted house in his parents’ backyard.

Tyler Davis – St. Louis, Missouri

An executive pastry chef at Element in St. Louis, Tyler, 32, credits a background in musical performance for bringing a creative flair to his pastries. He was once called “The Cheesecake Boss” in an article and he likes to brighten up the restaurant with funny voices and a penchant for silliness.

Dina Melendez – Brooklyn

Dina is an executive pastry chef and her first baking memory was making seven-layer cookies with her Sicilian grandmother.