Maui baker wins big on Food Network Canada’s Great Chocolate Showdown

The sweet flavor of good results

The sweet taste of good results is coated with chocolate and loads of aloha. “The secret ingredient is Aloha. I place a good deal of adore in what I do,” reported Maui’s Maile Crewdson, during the grand finale episode of the Good Chocolate Showdown.

The eight episode sequence aired on the Foodstuff Community in Canada, with the ultimate bakeoff broadcast on April 19.

The 35-year-old stay-at-dwelling mom of a few “took the judges on a journey to Hawaiʻi with her flavors from residence,” profitable a $50,000 prize, and new located self-assurance in her refined baking expertise.

Measuring up… in which baking starts

In accordance to Maile, her baking tale began with inspiration from her childhood, but gained focus 5 many years in the past with the beginning of her center boy or girl, Cyrus.

“He was born with really significant foodstuff allergy symptoms in 2017. To the finish of that calendar year, I experienced to learn how to entirely modify the way that I ate. That was in all probability where this entire journey commenced,” said Maile in a cell phone interview subsequent the get.

“I’ve normally loved baking… I’d bake a cake after or 2 times a 12 months, but almost nothing where it was finding out tactics or baking for other men and women,” said Maile. “When my son was diagnosed, he was allergic to so a lot of points, it was truly like a grieving procedure.”

The shift begun with a adjust in her diet plan to satisfy her newborn, and inevitably turned a life-style adjustment she embraced by discovering and demanding herself to take a look at new recipes.

In 2020 she designed croissants for the first time. Then just about every week or so, they’d load the young children up in a wagon and bring platefuls of donuts or malasadas to the neighbors, many of whom are elderly–to verify on them during the pandemic.

Maile also posted photographs of some of her completed goods to her @littlemauifamily Instagram, and which is what caught the eye of a Food Network casting agent. But she waited till the 2nd year of the pandemic in advance of signing on, seeking to make certain it was the correct in shape for her and her family.

“Every stage of the way, we had been just like–Let’s just pray about it and let’s just retain walking in faith,” reported Maile of discussions she would have with her husband, Ken.

Ideal right before she flew out for the opposition, Maile explained her mother, Lauri Cerizo, acquired for her a book on chocolate. It was the starting of her official instruction on the proper preparation of the decadent dessert. That was followed by films on how to temper chocolate like a pro.

She thought to herself, “whatever I can not do, I’m just likely to go and give this 100%.”

Levels of love baked in-involving

All through the sequence, baking contestants went via several troubles, testing their strategies at tempering chocolate, developing choux pastry, perfecting macarons, and utilizing shock ingredients.

In every single challenge, Maile identified comfort and ease in building pieces reminiscent of dwelling. In 1 challenge she built chocolate haupia mini-pies manufactured in a canoe formed mold–a playful piece that introduced back again reminiscences of her times paddling with Hawaiian Canoe Club.

In the macaron contest, Maile used bananas in her theming, reflecting on her youth, escalating up in Haʻikū on a two acre apple-banana farm. She also served on her grandparent’s kalo and fruit farm in Waiehu/Waiheʻe, where by there have been coconuts, and a wide range of other trees like avocado, mango, and breadfruit.

She remembers likely to operate on the farms on the weekends to clean up kalo, and harvest fruit to promote at the farmer’s marketplaces like Eddie Tam in Makawao.

“And if I at any time needed income for a thing, we would go and operate additional, or my dad would help me make stuff so we could raise money to go on school trips. He always identified a way making use of what we experienced,” Maile claimed of her father, Patrick Cerizo.

From her times at Doris Todd college, then Kalama Intermediate, and graduating with the class of 2003 at King Kekaulike Large College, Maile is now nurturing a spouse and children of her own.

In an additional obstacle, Maile made a raspberry cheesecake ice cream waffle sandwich with ruby chocolate. It was created as a tribute to her younger household of five, who love waffles and try out to make them each and every Saturday together.

“For my eldest daughter Ruby [age 7], I’m making use of Ruby chocolate for my middle youngster Cyrus [age 5], I’m doing chocolate chips in the waffles and for my youngest daughter Rosie [age 3], I’m likely to set tiny roses on each bubble waffle,” she discussed to the judges, who delighted in the joyful celebration of childhood.

The cherry on top rated

For the closing problem bakers experienced 7 hours to complete four tasks in the After On A Baker finale, which was judged on originality, presentation, and flavor.

The guidelines ended up exact: generate an ode to a beloved one particular who impressed their enjoy of baking comprehensive a pre-selected judge’s preference buy craft an interactive dessert that’s playful and astonishing and pull off a dazzling showpiece.

For her inspiration piece, Maile baked Hawaiian-design and style malasadas (Portuguese donuts) loaded with guava white chocolate pastry cream.

“Growing up, my dad would acquire me to the bakery as a special treat, and we would get Hawaiian malasadas–and that’s what started my adore for baking,” reported Maile in the course of grand finale showdown.

“It’s the best design and style of donut that I’ve at any time experienced in my lifestyle,” mentioned judge Steve Hodge, pastry chef and grasp chocolatier for the duration of the method.

For the judge’s choice challenge, Maile was tasked with making a chocolate raspberry Charlotte Royale–a sliced jellyroll cake that surrounds a luscious Bavarian raspberry creme white chocolate mousse.

As her interactive entry, Maile produced a tempered dim chocolate heart with flourless chocolate almond torte within, featuring mascarpone product.

“This interactive desert was so properly assumed out. That flourless chocolate cake is tasteful and refined. The marscapone cream is abundant, and then topping it with a blend of fig and mango definitely demonstrates us how significantly your palate has grown,” explained choose Anna Olson, pastry chef and very best-advertising cook dinner reserve creator through the closing episode.

Rounding out her dessert story, Maile developed a monstera leaf anti-gravity cake: with chocolate cake, a dark chocolate ganache, and a coconut milk chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream. The cake was done with a tempered white chocolate rainbow collar.

Concerned if her plant cake, motivated by foliage in her back again garden, was a lofty plenty of entry, Maile reflected on the concept.

Passion task

Maile has since started the @cyrusbakingco Instagram page, contacting it her “passion project.” “One of my goals is to have a brick and mortar retail store, but suitable now I’m generally baking for friends and loved ones, [and] by word of mouth.”

From memorial products and services to pals offering beginning, Maile has found herself baking for every event. “I’ve been so blessed to assistance out… which is my heart, and I’m making an attempt to get that off the ground proper now–an allergy welcoming, cottage type baking organization,” she stated.

Cyrus Baking Co. seeks to supply allergy friendly baked products with rustic cakes for special events. Specialties are laid out in a vibrant grid with pleasant descriptions of Maile’s handmade creations.

An allergy pleasant donut board was produced for her son Cyrus’ birthday earlier this 12 months, showcasing old fashioned creations and confetti sprinkles. “Think Krispy Kreme meets Corner Bakery, but allergy helpful and hand-forged,” the caption reads.

Also on the grid is a gluten-cost-free Hawaiian Guava White Chocolate Cake, explained as “the vibrant pink star of the dessert board,” with fresh new edible bouquets from ʻĀinalani Farms.

Further more down the feed is an Organic and natural Meyer Lemon cake manufactured with freshly-squeezed lemons from the relatives tree, and “plump-ripe blueberries sandwiched concerning pillows of lemon zest-vanilla buttercream.” Other back lawn ingredients include mint and lilikoʻi.

Though however in the enthusiasm phase of development, Maile utilized her community baker abilities to provide up 300 cookies and dozens of breads and rolls at the 8th Annual Waikapū Street Good past Christmas.

Residence sweet house

At property on Maui, Maile’s partner Ken, who is effective entire time, bought assistance seeing the kids from his mother who flew out from Alaska, as perfectly as Maile’s mother, who lives on island. There had been also aunties and uncles who pitched in for the duration of the filming of the show.

“It was virtually one of the most difficult points I’ve ever accomplished in my existence. I assume it was a lot more rigorous than giving beginning a few instances,” Maile stated with a snicker. “It was so challenging for the reason that I felt… I think I’m sort of naive in a way. I didn’t know considerably about chocolate… I undoubtedly felt like I was the the very least expert baker there.”

“I was pretty much eradicated far more than 50 % of the year,” she mentioned jokingly. “It’s genuinely funny. It was a really wonderful encounter.”

Rounding out the best 3 had been office environment manager Bri, and Zoo visitor companies manager Evan.

“I loved cheering on my fellow competitors… Even although it was a opposition, we all required to expand a lot and I assume that established it apart from other exhibits,” stated Maile. “We experienced so considerably exciting, but the clock is real, and it was stress filled, and it was truly hard, but we also laughed a whole lot.”

When she gained, her family members was elated and celebrated the hopes for their future.

In an Instagram put up, Maile reported, “My children were being screaming, jumping up and down, cheering for Mother! It usually means we get to develop our property in this article on Maui. I get to develop my passion task Cyrus Baking Co. and carry far more allergy welcoming bakes to my local community.”

People dreams include peanut-free of charge baked merchandise, supporting all those with foodstuff allergy symptoms, gluten-free solutions, and vegan solutions.

She was hopeful that the practical experience would help her not only to discover and increase in baking, but also assistance to create their dwelling. “It’s just so expensive,” she said.

In the stop, Maile stated her spouse and children is hunting into what would make most feeling fiscally. “We’re severely hunting into having a meals truck to promote malasadas,” she explained. “I come to feel like there is space for these sorts of factors that achieve a various demographic of people… arrive at the meals allergy neighborhood.”

“I imagine our greatest joy ideal now in winning is that we can create our major house on our assets and then create a larger kitchen area for me to broaden my cottage baking business… and also, I’d appreciate to devote in purchasing a foods truck this tumble, Lord inclined.”

Chocolate chasers

Filming of the Great Chocolate Showdown took position in Toronto Canada more than a 6 7 days period of time in the fall and early wintertime.

The present just finished airing internationally, in Canada initially and the CW Network reportedly acquired the first season just lately. According to Maile, some viewers had been capable to tune in from Maui throughout the Canada broadcast by securing a VPN (Virtual Personal Network) obtain.

It is nevertheless undetermined if the display will air in the US.