It’s the end of the reality show road for a New Brunswick baking enthusiast.
Jen Hudson of Mundleville stepped into season 10 of the nationally televised baking competition, The Great Canadian Baking Competition, on October 4.
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For her, it was about much more than cakes and pastries. It was a chance to learn, connect with fellow bakers and push herself outside her comfort zone.
Her time on the show ended on Sunday, but she exited the CBC show this week with grace.
Reflecting on her experience, Hudson said one of the highlights was meeting contestants from different backgrounds and learning from their unique approaches to baking.
“I was very inspired by the other bakers that I got to spend time with because we all have different perspectives,” she said. “We come at it from different ways, different flavour profiles and different experiences.”
The experience left her eager to continue growing as a baker.
“It definitely made me want to do more and try different things,” Hudson said.
She also credits the show’s crew and fellow competitors for helping her expand her skills.
“The crew was amazing,” she said. “There are people who are like, ‘Have you considered this?’ So I definitely learned a lot from the experience from the baking side, as well as just being there in this whole surreal moment.”
For anyone considering auditioning for a future season, Hudson’s advice is simple: go for it.
“If you have an opportunity to go to an open audition, do it,” she said. “The people you’re going to meet there are fantastic. Whether you go further in the process or not, it’s such a lovely experience.”
She also encourages aspiring bakers to learn from past contestants and challenges before the audition.
“Go back and watch the show and maybe try some of the past bakes,” Hudson said. “A lot of those recipes are online now, so you can definitely go and practice some of the things.”
While cake decorating remains her passion, the experience has inspired her to broaden her baking repertoire.
“I really like cake, so I’ve spent a lot of time trying to learn about those things,” she said. “But I’m definitely broadening the range of things I make in the kitchen now.”
Despite the pressures of competition television, one thing hasn’t changed: her love of baking for others.
“Absolutely, I will continue baking,” Hudson said. “I can’t help but feed people. There will be baked goods from now until forever.”
