Two Greater Victoria bakers are among the fresh batch of competitors rising to the occasion in the sixth season of The Great Canadian Baking Show.
Baking dates back to childhood and family bonds for John Fowler of Langford and Zoya Thawer of Victoria, both fans of the CBC competition where 10 people take to a tent for making and tasting that whittles down to one winner over the weeks.
Thawer credits her mom, a single mother who inspired her daughter with a first book of baking recipes at age eight or nine. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檇 pick something out every Sunday to bake together.B次元官网网址�
Her flavour profile reaches even further back than those core memories. Thawer is an Ismaili Muslim who aims to share a taste of her culture. Born in Tanzania, the family moved to Vancouver at three, and Thawer embraces the culinary influences of her East African roots and a touch of India.
B次元官网网址淚 really had the opportunity to lean into that and bring some of those flavours to the bakes I did in the tent which was cool,B次元官网网址� Thawer says.
Fowler calls himself lucky to grow up with a grandmother who was a phenomenal baker and his B次元官网网址檔anB次元官网网址� shared that passion. Every week she would make bread, squares, cookies, pies, cakes. B次元官网网址淎s a kid she used to make cream puffs and for me that was the most magical thing you could make.B次元官网网址�
READ ALSO:
Originally from Newfoundland, he shifted coasts in 2001 to pursue his masters degree at the University of Victoria. The lure of this coast took hold and two decades later he works as an administrative officer for the Department of Geography. ItB次元官网网址檚 not uncommon to see coworkers more frequently than friends and family, and so Fowler admits his colleagues often serve as guinea pigs for his creations. There are also mini bake-offs a couple times a year at work, and Fowler insists he doesnB次元官网网址檛 always win.
A fan since season one, Fowler figured getting on the show would be a challenge and a great way to potentially make like-minded friends.
B次元官网网址淚n my day-to-day life no one wants to talk about the different types of buttercream, or pros and cons of buttercream,B次元官网网址� says Fowler.
Careful to steer clear of potential spoilers for the coming season, Fowler says it is a highlight is just to make the show.B次元官网网址淏eing one of 60 people in Canada who has made it into that tent is phenomenal.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a competition, but itB次元官网网址檚 not really a competition between bakers, itB次元官网网址檚 a competition with ingredients and time,B次元官网网址� he says. While someone goes home each week, the show is not cutthroat and of course has the warm and comforting vibe inherent to baking.
READ ALSO:
A recent transplant from Edmonton, Thawer is a pediatric endocrinologist and compares the friendships forged on the show to the bonds built during medical residency. ItB次元官网网址檚 a unique experience with no alternative but to grow close quickly, she says.
Participants learned from each other, plus the taste testing canB次元官网网址檛 be beat.
TheyB次元官网网址檙e still in touch to the point that Fowler recalls the odd feeling the first Saturday that went by without anyone chirping in on the group text.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 life changing and these are people I would consider more than friends, almost family really,B次元官网网址� he says.
Each one-hour episode features three rounds: The Signature Bake, the Technical Bake and the Show Stopper. After the baked goods are tasted and critiqued, the judges decide who is the weekB次元官网网址檚 Star Baker, and who heads home.
The Great Canadian Baking Show airs Sundays at 8 p.m. starting Oct. 2, and streams on CBC Gem.
Do you have a story tip? Email: c.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca.
Follow us on and and like us on
