Kootenay teacher wins Great Canadian Baking Show with flavours from his backyard
A school teacher from Creston baked his way to the first prize place on season seven of The Great Canadian Baking Show.
“In the spring, I told many of you I was going away for work… Well, the true part is that it was in fact a lot of work! The one thing I omitted though, is that I was making a dream come true on The Great Canadian Baking Show,” said Loic Fauteux-Goulet on a social media post.
The season started with ten bakers from across the country and every week one baker after another was eliminated from the fierce but fun-loving competition that premiered on CBC and CBCGem Oct. 1 and wrapped up with the finale on Nov. 19.
Every challenge includes a signature bake, a technical bake and a showstopper. After Fauteux-Goulet baked his way to the finale, he wowed the judges with a “perfect” Diplomatic Cake, an Italian baked treat with syrup soaked lady fingers the bakers were challenged to put their own twist on.
“I’m feeling excited, a little bit nervous,” Fauteux-Goulet said on the show. “It’s finale, everything has to be perfect.”
The Kootenay-based baker used home grown rhubarb and apricot fillings in his bake, which the judges later called "visually stunning" with "a lot of technique."
“I’m starting to feel homesick so I want to bring flavours that are in my backyard,” he said.
The technical challenge was a passion fruit layered crepe cake that had to be ombre, going from dark-coloured at the bottom to light at the top. Fauteux-Goulet won second place for having crepes that were too thick.
For the final showstopper, Fauteux-Goulet created a colourful aquatic scene featuring salmonberry jam and chocolate seaweed ganache along with a hazelnut cake covered with raspberry and lychee jelly. The judges said the masterpiece was “such a beautiful visual, so colourful, (with) so many components.”
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After the showstoppers were judged, friends and family members gathered outside the baking kitchen for the announcement of the winner.
"This feels so unreal, I just can’t imagine it's me right now standing here,” Fauteux-Goulet said, holding flowers. "I'm super grateful for the people that supported me, having everyone here and winning the competition just feels amazing.”
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The Great Canadian Baking series brings amateur bakers from across Canada to compete and celebrate diverse backgrounds, families and communities through 24 different baking challenges taking place in a tent in Toronto. Season 8 is set to premiere in the fall next year.
Loic Fauteux-Goulet was not available for comment in time for publication.
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