An Interview With the Super-Awesome Host of 'Super Mega Cakes,' Duff Goldman

Expert baker and veteran Food Network host and judge Duff Goldman is taking on his most challenging competition yet in the all-new series Super Mega Cakes. During the six-episode season, Duff and his team of skilled bakers (from his famous Baltimore bakery, Charm City Cakes) will go up against six opposing teams to see who can create the best larger-than-life themed cakes. The catch? They're taking on all six teams at the same time — in the span of only four days. Food Network sat down with Duff to discuss the craziness of the Super Mega Cakes competition, his competition strategy and his love for crafting over-the-top cakes.

In Conversation With Duff

Food Network: What can fans of your previous cake-baking competition show, Buddy vs. Duff, look forward to seeing on Super Mega Cakes?

Duff: After Buddy vs. Duff, there was nobody my team could take on who could beat us. Not an egotistical way — well, a little ego — but we know what we’re doing. We had to handicap my team to make the competition more challenging and this is the way they did it: We have to take on six teams at once on Super Mega Cakes. Viewers will feel our stress, but I hope they can see past the insanity and see how much fun everyone was having. It was crazy, but we were having a lot of fun. And you can tell because when people are having fun, that’s when they’re doing their best work.

Food Network: How is Super Mega Cakes different from everything else you’ve done?

Duff: I really get to focus on baking and we get points for taste. I’m a pastry chef and I love to bake. Other than Buddy vs. Duff, this is the only show I’ve been on where baking and flavor were a real component of the score on top of the mechanics and artistry.

Food Network: What was your strategy for approaching the competition? Six cakes in four days is, needless to say, a lot!

Duff: My strategy was to ask the best cake decorators that I know and see if they would say yes to doing this with me. When I was pitching this to all of those guys, I was like, "Hey, listen, we’re outnumbered and we might lose," but they were down because it’s fun. We were the underdog. I got some people that were really good with sugar, some who are really good with chocolate, some who are good with the mechanics, some who are experts at making cakes look realistic. It was a nice mix of talents.

Food Network: What was it like going up against the opposing teams? I know fans will recognize a lot of them.

Duff: I had judged a lot of them before, so they had an axe to grind if they hadn’t won when I judged. It made the competition more fun.

Food Network: A lot of grudges being held?

Duff: Revenge is a powerful motivator.

Food Network: During the competition, each cake has an assigned theme and a special required element, like a moving part or a suspended piece. Did you select and delegate your team members based on what you knew they would be good at?

Duff: Yes, absolutely. Like Ralph [Attanasia], for example. I’ve seen him sculpt so many amazing cakes and [I've] competed against him a lot, so I know he’s really good at human figures, which is one of the hardest things to do. Right off the bat, I was like, "He’s got to utilize that." One of our opponents, Elizabeth Rowe, is an incredible sculptor and very talented. I knew if I had any shot against her, it was with Ralph.

Food Network: What was the most challenging part of competing on Super Mega Cakes?

Duff: Keeping my cool was really tough. I didn't want to blow my top or freak out at any point because if I freaked out, then my whole team would freak out and we would suffer. Inside, I’m screaming, and outside everything is great! There were a couple of times when people weren’t doing great work, and I was trying to find the most diplomatic way to say that. I had to approach the situation like I do with the kids on Kids Baking Championship. I had to motivate and guide them without bringing them down.

Food Network: How does a competition like this compare to your everyday work environment?

Duff: People are pretty self-motivated at the bakery. I don’t ever have to ask why anyone isn't working. We take all the cakes from the week and assign them to who is good at that stuff and I check in, but people are always on the ball. In the competition, there’s a lot more socializing going on.

Food Network: What surprised you most? Were there any aspects of the competition you found unexpectedly challenging or maybe even easy?

Duff: Nothing came easy. I think the thing that surprised me the most was the level of emotion. There was the competition itself and everyone was focused on winning. At the same time, everybody in that room really put their heart and soul into these cakes. There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears — and I loved that. Everybody really took ownership, and when things were going good, they felt great, but when things were not going great, people also felt it. None of us wanted to let each other down. It was beautiful seeing everyone come together and help each other out.

Food Network: Did you have a favorite cake that you worked on?

Duff: The ice carving on the Superman cake might have been my favorite part because I haven't done it in so long. Getting to do it on a big scale like that for a competition felt really good and like, "Yes, I still got it." There were a lot of things that could go wrong and I didn’t have any backups. It was cool doing it on television, too, because people don’t work with ice that often. I think the last person to do it was me four years ago.

Food Network: Super Mega Cakes has a special new computer host, W.I.S.C. (Whitty Intelligent Super Computer). What can fans expect from her?

Duff: W.I.S.C. was a little saucy and a little sassy. She definitely has some things to say. It’s funny because it looks like I’m just talking to the sky whenever I interact with her.

Food Network: Would you take on a challenge like this again?

Duff: One hundred percent. I don’t think the final judging was done before I was already strategizing about next time, all while we were absolutely exhausted. The thing is that I’m a creative person. It’s in my blood. At the bakery, there’s only so much that people are going to buy. You look at the cakes we made on Super Mega Cakes, and to break even on some of them, you’d have to charge 100 grand. You just don’t get customers like that. The fact that I, as a creative person, got handed this assignment to make the craziest, biggest, most jaw-dropping cake that I can imagine is such a blessing because that never happens. When does someone hand you a blank check and say make the craziest thing you can think of? It feels so good to be able to do that. When Buddy vs. Duff ended, I was so sad because the opportunity we got to make these over-the-top cakes is not something that people get to do ever in their life, and we got to do it dozens of times. It really is such a blessing.

How to Watch Super Mega Cakes

Super Mega Cakes premieres on Food Network Monday, June 16 at 9|8c — and will be available to stream the next day on Max and discovery+. Follow Duff on Instagram @duffgoldman.