Nicola Valley woman vying for title of 'greatest baker'
A Lower Nicola resident is hoping to make her dreams come true by competing for the top spot in The Greatest Baker competition.
Camille Pinyon, owner of Camille's Sweets and Treats, had to take time off over the last year because of the pandemic. With a compromised immune system after she was diagnosed in 2018 with non-hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, she decided she had a few options. She could sit at home or pursue her dream of owning a bakery.
“So I’ve been baking up a storm in the meantime, I’ve been making cakes for friends and family and going to the farmer’s markets and that type of stuff,” she said.
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Her friends and family kept pushing her to enter the contest so she finally tossed her hat into the ring. The winner will be featured in Bake from Scratch Magazine, receive a year’s supply of Stuffed Puffs and $20,000.
The global competition began May 11 and voting to be in the top 15 ends May 20. Each week, contestants will be narrowed down based on votes before a winner is selected July 1, she said.
She sells her delicious treats such as cupcakes, hot chocolate bombs and chocolate-covered strawberries at the Nicola Valley Farmers' Market but mostly makes cakes for friends and family, she said.
“Everybody loves my cakes that I do as they’re unique to everyone else’s, I have my own little style,” she said.
The pandemic has given her a silver lining, to push her to make her dream come true. If she’s unable to go back to work as a care aid after suffering from a mini-stroke last June, she wanted to pursue other options.
“I’ve always said one day this was going to happen so maybe this was the push that I needed,” she said.
The $20,000 would definitely help her reach her dream, she said.
The competition is the world's largest online contest for bakers, according to the Greatest Baker’s website.
Vote for her online.
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