A GREAT CANADIAN BAKER
Regina woman finalist on CBC show
Vandana Jain could finally breathe a sigh of relief on Wednesday night: Her secret was out.
The Regina woman was part of a national CBC reality TV show, The Great Canadian Baking Show, which began filming in July and began airing in late October.
She was one of three finalists in the national show, and only close family members knew the results.
“It was really hard to keep the secret,” said Jain. “That was probably one of the most challenging things, just knowing that you had this fantastic experience and not really being able to share it with anyone.”
When she took five weeks off from her job as the Saskatchewan Science Centre’s chief financial officer, she vaguely told her colleagues she was “on vacation — but I think some people were probably a little doubtful.”
Every Thursday morning since November, her co-workers were slowly knocked out of their office betting pool, just as the show’s 10 contestants were eliminated one by one on Wednesday nights.
Jain, a big fan of The Great British Bake Off, auditioned for the CBC show via FaceTime, the closest audition location being Winnipeg.
The producers asked her about herself and her baking style, which she describes as “fusion.” They didn’t get to taste the Chai banana fritters she’d prepared. In any case, “They seemed to really love it.”
The judges loved it week after week, as Jain made it to the final episode in a process she likens to a “summer baking camp.”
Filmed in July and August in Toronto, the heat and humidity were intensified by the fact that the bakers worked in a big tent outdoors.
Midsummer, the bakers from as far west as Victoria and as far east as Halifax took on a holiday baking challenge. That week, Jain was inspired by her three-year-old son. She made Niam’s Place, a gingerbread tree house that she hopes to re-create for him for Christmas.
For the Best of Britain challenge, she looked to colonial India. The Maharaja high tea included Chai, sandesh (a dessert with homemade paneer cheese), gujiya (a sweet dumpling) and dhokla (a savoury cake of fermented chickpeas).
Her personal showstopper, though, was the red velvet and cream cheese wedding cake she made for the final challenge. Its red and gold sari-patterned fondant was reminiscent of her own wedding to her husband, Vikash.
Jain’s baking is influenced by her parents’ Indian heritage and the foods she ate as a child.
Just like Jain used to help her mom in the kitchen, now Niam is helping her. “I think baking becomes multi-generational,” said Jain. “I remember rolling out cookies with mom and just using cookie cutters, and it just evokes such a positive memory. And I think that’s why the show is so popular. Everyone loves to bake”.
With the TV show finished, Jain plans to start a blog, Vandana Bakes, where she’ll talk about the show and explore new recipes.
In the meantime, find her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @vandanabakes.
Episodes are online at cbc.ca/life/greatcanadianbakingshow.