WINNER! Andria Gaskins, of Matthews, N.C., started her own home-cooking business, selling delicacies at local farmers markets. The former chiropractor gave up her job to raise her two young sons and follow her passion for cooking and baking. Andria will try to prove her recipe is sweetest of all with her signature dish, Cardamom Spiced Carrot Cake.
Winning Recipe: Apple Crisp Bread Pudding
Cake Dish: Cardamom Spiced Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing
Kathi Jones-DelMonte works as an independent sales representative, part-time researcher and writer in Rochester, N.Y. After her husband survived a serious snowmobile crash, Kathi became a desserts specialist due to his newfound hunger for sweets. The world-class bass fisherwoman hopes to wow the judges with her signature dish, Maple Sweet Potato Upside-Down Cake.
Cake Dish: Maple Sweet Potato Upside-Down Cake
Dessert Dish: Minted Mango-Berry Cobblers with Chai Biscuits and Fresh Ginger Cream
Kerstin Sinkevicius, of Boston, Mass., recently earned her doctorate in biology and performs postdoctoral cancer research. After a long day at the laboratory, she unwinds through cooking. Kerstin, who maintains a food blog, has perfected her signature dish, Caramelized Plantain Cakes.
Cake Dish: Caramelized Plantain Cupcakes with a Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Cheese Frosting
Dessert Dish: Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies
Jade Thompson, of Arlington, Va., works as a trademark consultant and has traveled all over the world. The Australian-born home cook enjoys adding elements of her cultural travel to her food. Jade hopes to sweeten things up with her signature dish, Lime, Ginger and Mascarpone Cake.
Cake Dish: Lime, Ginger and Mascarpone Cake
Dessert Dish: Warm Sticky Figgy Pudding
