A pastry chef from Ithaca is one of 12 contestants competing on the Food Network show “Holiday Baking Championship,” vying for the grand prize of $25,000 and a feature in Food Network Magazine.
Violet Zoner, 21, is among the youngest of the contestants on the show, now in its 12th season. She grew up in Ithaca and attended Trumansburg schools, where she competed in the cross country and track teams. Beyond that, she was known for being an avid baker, creating cupcakes, muffins, scones and cookies for friends and family.
She started her Instagram page, @violetbakestoomuch, at age 14. “I love getting inspired by other people,” she said. “I want to be an inspiration for other people.”
For the past couple of years, she has worked at Trimmer’s Ice Cream and The Coffee Shed in Trumansburg; she occasionally bakes sweet and savory treats for “Treat Yourself Tuesdays” at the coffee shop.
She graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in April. Since then she has done some private baking and plans to stage (work at an unpaid internship) at a bakery in Brooklyn beginning in January.
She learned about the opportunity to compete on the show when a casting person messaged her through her Instagram page. Among the questions she was asked during the interview process was whether she would consider herself naughty or nice. She didn’t give the question much thought but replied that she’d be nice.
That question took on greater meaning when the contestants arrived on set. It was announced that, for the first time, the bakers would be split into two teams: Naughty vs. Nice. She said she enjoyed competing on a Team Nice, noting that chefs still were judged individually.
“What you see is what happens,” she said. “You have the two hours and that’s it.
“I learned a little bit about myself under pressure. It’s a different kind of pressure being on TV with a time limit.”
Contestants were allowed to taste each other’s components, particularly to give each other feedback for their team, but there wasn’t an opportunity to taste each other’s final products.
“I would have loved to,” she said. “People have so much talent in that room.”
Judges Duff Goldman, Nancy Fuller, and Kardea Brown all had their own opinions, she said, and sometimes she received conflicting feedback.
During filming, Zoner became good friends with Tarek Husseini and Nico Alkalay, who were among the younger contestants, both competing on the Naughty Team. “We just get along great,” she said. Since filming, all of the contestants have kept in touch via a group chat on Instagram.
Watching the first episodes has been “a surreal experience,” she said. “I’m on TV nationwide. Anyone could be watching this and that’s crazy.” She’s gotten people messaging her on Instagram with words of encouragement.
She’s been getting texts asking her about Charles Zimmerman, a chef on the Naughty Team who seems to have gotten a villain edit. She believes he wanted to be portrayed that way. “He’s really skilled,” she said. “He knows stuff. He’s there to win and I respect that.”
Competing in the show was a net positive for Zoner. “I’m so glad I did it,” she said. “It was a really great experience.”
The Holiday Baking Championship premiered on Nov. 3 and airs at 8 p.m. Mondays on Food Network. The episodes are available on HBO Max the next day.
Tracy Schuhmacher has covered Rochester’s food and drink scene for the past 10 years. Send story tips to tracys@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Ithaca pastry chef, 21, competing on Food Network show ‘Holiday Baking Championship’
Reporting by Tracy Schuhmacher, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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