Halloween Baking Championship: Meet the Competitors

Get to know the seven bakers ready to take on the spooktacular challenges of Halloween Baking Championship for a chance to win $25,000.

Ray, 30, practices the art of sugar as a wedding cake designer at Sugar and Scribe Bakery. After a stint in the Marines he decided to go to culinary school because he saw how happy desserts made people.

A pastry chef and instructor at Bells Pastries, Jasmin, 28, specializes in macarons and modernizing the traditional with a little touch of diva.

Cliff, 61, has a lot of confidence in his professional skills after being a pastry chef at The University of Texas and a pastry instructor at Le Cordon Bleu. He loves the scare-factor of Halloween and has a passion for old-school horror movies. He specializes in chocolate work and is ready to take on the younger competitors.

A self-taught baker, Andrea, 39, goes all out for Halloween. She is part of a paranormal group and believes in ghosts. Her passion for the macabre leads to a predilection for gory treats.

Executive pastry chef at Puesto, Jessica, 27, takes Halloween very seriously and starts designing her costume eight months before the big day. Her desserts incorporate the element of surprise.

A pastry chef at Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse and creator of The Pastry Guru, Jonathan, 30, “lives, eats (and) breathes Halloween.” As a teenage he used to run a haunted house in his parents’ backyard.

An executive pastry chef at Element in St. Louis, Tyler, 32, credits a background in musical performance for bringing a creative flair to his pastries. He was once called “The Cheesecake Boss” in an article and he likes to brighten up the restaurant with funny voices and a penchant for silliness.