A Kawartha Lakes man is one of 24 bakers from across Canada vying for a $50,000 prize in CTV’s new reality cake competition series Cross Country Cake Off, hosted and judged by chef and cookbook author Mary Berg and celebrated pastry chef Andrew Han.
In the four-episode series premiering on Thursday (December 15), Derek Welch of Pontypool will compete in a qualifying round in Toronto against seven other bakers from central Canada.
Another eight bakers from eastern Canada will compete in a qualifying round in Halifax, with another eight bakers from western Canada competing in Vancouver. Four bakers from each of the three regional qualifying rounds will then move on a festive cake challenge, with the top two from each region selected to compete in the finale.
For Welch, a truck driver by trade, baking is a weekend hobby he shares with his daughter Taylor. You can follow them at “Daddy Daughter Sweet Treats” on Facebook and Instagram. The cake Welch will present during his qualifying round, filmed at Toronto’s Casa Loma earlier this year, has a woodland theme.
“For me that’s the most relaxing spot to unwind and clear my head,” he says in a promotional video.
The first two episodes of Cross Country Cake Off will be broadcast at 9 p.m. on December 15 and 16 on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app.
VIDEO: “Cross Country Cake Off” trailer
