How kosher baker became a dairy queen
S. Floridian competes on Food Network series ‘Candy Land’
At her home inHollywood, cake decorator MiriamAdar bakes nondairy kosher cakes for
Jewish clients. But onTVshe’s a dairy queen, firing up sweet, buttercream-y confections for FoodNetwork’s newbaking competition series “Candy Land.”
“Itwas sweaty and messy and definitely fun,” Adar says. “I kept getting frosting all overme.”
Adar is on one of five teams vying for sugary supremacy on “Candy Land,” a contest inspired by the classicHasbro board game, premiering Sunday, Nov. 15. Over six episodes hosted by actor-singer KristinChenoweth, 20 professional cake and sugar artistswill compete in a studio designed to replicate the game board, carving up cakes shaped like lollipops, candy canes and
gumdrops for a panel of judges.
Oneach episode, Adar
and teammates scavenge for ingredients in life-size versions of theGumdrop Mountains, Lollipop Woods and Peppermint Forest. The last teamstanding will split a $25,000
grand prize.
Aself-taught baker Adar, 34, is keepingmum about her performance but admits she felt intimidated by the competition. “I didn’t go to fancy culinary
school and I never baked as akid,” shesays. “Iwasone of the few contestantswho didn’t have professional experience.”
“Candy Land” is a far cry fromwhatAdar is used to back home. By day the Orthodox mother of three bakes kosher cakes for Jewish families and for worshipers atAishHaTorah synagogue inHollywood. Onher Instagram account (@miriam.adar. cakes), Adar posts dairyfree cakes shaped like acoustic guitars, elephants and evenNBAsuperstar Steph Curry using techniques she learned by watchingYouTube tutorials.
Which iswhy she never imagined competing on nationalTVuntil Food Network emailed her to apply for “Candy Land” this summer.
“I showed it tomy husband and said, ‘This can’t be real,’ ” Adar recalls. “But I applied, got a call back, did a lot of phone interviews, and Iwas in. It was fine because Iwasn’t going to eat anything with dairy. My teammates ate all the baked goods so I didn’t have to.”
Adar started baking kosher cakes five years ago, sculpting photogenic pieces shaped likeBarbie dolls and teapots for her 11-year-old daughter, Ayala.
She keeps a kosher kitchen athome and replaces dairy with margarine and soy milk. Before baking, she dips baking pots and pans into a mikvah— a ritual bath ofwater— andmakes a blessing.
Adar says business hummedsteadily pre-pandemic but orders for kosher cakes exploded after COVID-19 hurled Florida into lockdowns this spring. Nowshe can barely keep up. “People can’t do the 50-person Jewish parties they’re used to,” Adar says. “The cake is more meaningful nowbecause it’s one of the best things you can do for an intimate party.”
Still, win or lose, Adar says she isn’t angling for TVstardom, or hoping to springboard her Food Network appearance into a cushy pastry chef job. She prefers a humbler lifestyle catering to South Florida’s Jewish community.
“Abig part ofmy life is cooking for shabbat, but I wanted to teachmy kids they can reach for the stars,” Adar says. “Iwould love to bakemore crazy cakes for clients, like a sculpture of a person or an airplane.”
“Candy Land” will premiere at 9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, on the Food Network.