PIE HARD
Two San Antonio bakers spook the competition in twisted Food Network series
This season's Halloween specials will offer plenty of thrills and chills, but one TV series should particularly get locals' blood racing. Two San Antonio chefs will craft petrifying patisseries to win the 2023 Halloween Baking Championship.
Now in its ninth season, the seasonal Food Network show asks 12 pros to make spooktacular desserts for a $25,000 prize in an elimination challenge. This season, host John Henson (Wipeout, Talk Soup) guides the cast through a carnival theme, demanding spooky creations like a "tarot-misu."
Mandi Del Toro and Adesuwa Elaiho will both make their Food Network debuts on the premiere episode. Each brings a distinct set of skills to the competition.
Though she is billed as a home baker, Del Toro has become popular through pop-ups and night markets, selling everything from cookies shaped like Jason Voorhees' hockey mask to ghoulish eyeball cake pops. While relatively new to the baking world, she does have a leg up as a former special effects makeup artist.
Elaiho is the proprietor off former Fair Oaks café Asucar (with a new location coming in 2024). As a popular wedding cake baker, her aesthetic is more elegant than eerie, but she does have an ace in the hole. As the first student to receive all available diplomas at the prestigious culinary school Le Cordon Bleu, she is an encyclopedia of gastronomic techniques.
"I'm thrilled to have another San Antonian on the show with me, Mandi Tel Toro," says Elaiho via a press release. "For two female bakers from our city to be represented this season is pretty incredible."
Fittingly, viewers must endure some suspense to see if either chef makes it to the end. The action kicks off on September 11 at 8 pm. More information is available at foodnetwork.com.