Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Spring forward
Goldman moves from one ‘Baking Championship’ to another
Another edition of the Emmy-nominated “Kids Baking Championship” is winding down, but that doesn’t mean Duff Goldman is taking a TV break. On the contrary, he’ll be moving from one “Baking Championship” to the next.
Since premiering on Dec. 26, the latest season of Food Network’s “Kids Baking Championship” has been focusing on fostering budding entrepreneurial skills and burgeoning business concepts. Each week, viewers have watched hosts/ judges Goldman and Valerie Bertinelli dole out challenges designed to test the kid bakers’ skills and business savvy — from applying color psychology to enhance their product to capitalizing on the current (and delicious) dessert trend: the loaded cookie.
The ultimate winner will be revealed in the finale airing on Monday, Feb. 27. The remaining kid bakers film a commercial in which they pitch why they should be hired to create a special multi-tiered birthday cake. And Goldman is arguably the expert on this: as the owner of Charm City Cakes, the business owner became a household name and a Food Network fixture thanks to his reputation for creating wildly imaginative cakes — the kind featured in his first Food Network show, “Ace of Cakes,” and subsequent shows like “Buddy vs. Duff.”
Goldman, whose Food Network bio states he’s been cooking since he was four years old, is seemingly the goto judge for various-themed “Baking Championship” shows. While “Kids Baking Championship” ends its latest run this week, Goldman will be back again next Monday, March 6, when a new edition of “Spring Baking Championship” takes over the newly vacated time-slot, ensuring a seamless transition for Goldman (and cake) fans.
Kicking off with a two-hour premiere, “Spring Baking Championship” is a dessertbased celebration of flowers, pastel colors and spring rituals. Goldman joins Kardea Brown and Nancy Fuller on the judging panel, while Jesse Palmer handles the hosting duties. The March 6 episode will introduce the latest dozen bakers who will try to avoid elimination each week in hopes of reaching the finale, where a dream wedding cake challenge will decide the ultimate winner.