REGINA — Regina’s Queen City Cakes is competing in Food Network Canada’s “The Big Bake: Halloween!” challenge.
Owner Jared Bugyi said competing on a network show has always been a part of his five year plans.
“As soon as I opened I’m like ‘my goal is in five years to be on a national program,’” Bugyi said.
The baking competition challenges teams to bake and decorate a five foot tall cake in five hours.
Bugyi added there are also challenging elements that need to be incorporated.
“There’s dynamic elements,” he said. “So they are being lit, they’re moving and a bunch of crazy stuff that for us, we don’t get to do on a daily basis. So it was really cool to do it.”
Bugyi always had a love of baking and would make sweets with his mom and grandmother before going to culinary school in Vancouver.
He said teams normally have to apply for the show and go through a casting process, but he was approached by the network to compete which made it special.
Queen City Cakes’ “Team Butter Queens” is comprised of Bugyi, Megan Deglman, who worked at Queen City Cakes before moving to Vancouver and Sweet Wheat Bakeshop owner Anissa Cheyne.
Bugyi said he learned a lot during filming, like how to crisis manage. He added that they still got to show off their “crazy, fun, and animated team” through the stress.
The winning team from each episode of the series receives $10,000. Bugyi said if he wins, he plans to take a vacation.
The “Love at First Fright” episode featuring “Team Bitter Queens” airs on September 27.
Bugyi hopes to watch it night of, but said work comes first.
“I’ll probably be baking all day,” he added. “If I actually get to see it while it’s airing I’ll be surprised because I’ll probably be [at the store] baking.”
