Sweet holiday victory for Jewish baker on primetime TV

For many, there was little doubt that Jewish Great Holiday Baking Show contestant Lauren Katz was going to win the final on Monday. She was named “star baker” in the first two of the four of the ABC show’s segments. She also put in a strong (though not spectacular) showing in pastry making last week. She was in prime position to take the coveted glass cake stand trophy.

And so while viewers were unsurprised to hear the hosts announce her name as winner, Katz looked genuinely astonished.

In a phone conversation with the Times of Israel from a New York hotel room on Tuesday, Katz reflected on the opportunity to competitively bake on a nationally televised program and be judged by baking greats Mary Berry and Johnny Iuzzini. Katz did the interview after Good Morning America appearance with Iuzzini.

“I drove through the night to get here from Virginia to be here in time for the live taping,” she said.

The irony of a committed Jew winning what was basically a Christmas baking competition is not lost on Katz.

“I made it very clear that we don’t and never have celebrated Christmas, never had a tree, or anything. I even staged a Hanukkah party and we lit the menorah at our house when they came to do some filming back in August,” she said.

According to Katz, who teaches first grade at her suburban Virginia Conservative synagogue’s Hebrew school, the producers meant to keep religion out of the show as much as possible. (Though southerner contestant Nicole, who shouted out “Sweet baby Jesus!” repeatedly, must have not gotten that memo.)

Katz said she didn’t have much time to practice her recipes before flying to England for a full month of filming. It was a long time for her to be away from her three children, ages 5, 10 and 11.

‘I made it very clear that we don’t and never have celebrated Christmas, never had a tree, or anything. I even staged a Hanukkah party and we lit the menorah at our house when they came to do some filming back in August’

The filming of the baking took place in the same famous tent kitchen used in the original Great British Bake Off show, of which Katz is an avid fan and upon which the ABC program is based.

Katz, 37, left behind careers in college campus Hillel work and as an elementary school art teacher to be a stay-at-home mom and hone her cooking and baking skills. Her knowledge of painting and print making has given her excellent decorating skills, helping her win numerous baking contests before appearing in the Great Holiday Baking Show.

Although on the show she nailed bakes like a Yule log, gingerbread house (actually, a pagoda), and a sweet filled candy cane-shaped bread, Katz is far more likely to make challah, hamentaschen and rugelach (which she did bake and impressed the judges with in the cookie challenge).

“I had never baked some of the things I had to bake on the show, but it was a good opportunity to try them. It was a chance to step out of myself for a bit,” she reflected.

A self-taught baker, Katz appreciated the opportunity to be judged by celebrity bakers Berry and Iuzzini.

‘It was a chance to step out of myself for a bit’

“I was nervous to be around them at first, but then when I saw how nice, down to earth and normal they were, I started to relax. They are very good at what they do,” Katz said.

With the big win under her belt, she is starting to think about next steps. She might expand her blog, teach or write a cookbook. An invitation from a Massachusetts synagogue to come give a Rosh Hashanah baking demonstration next year has her considering the possibility of doing a Jewish baking tour.

Katz may go on the road, but she plans to also spend lots of time back in her kitchen learning and practicing some more.

“I’m not a Joan Nathan… yet,” she said.