I usually combine the Canadian and British Bake Off shows into one post, but I thought the finale deserved its own separate post. Don’t forget that the Great Canadian Baking Show’s holiday episode airs on Sunday!
Andrew Evers, 40 (he/him)
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Occupation: Public Service Manager
Instagram: @andrew_alamode
Baking in the tent has been at the top of Andrew’s bucket list since watching Season 1. After growing up in the Niagara region, he began baking as a stress reliever in grad school. He upped his game to woo his now husband, Marc, by baking him delicious treats. The couple live in Toronto where they parent their white shepherd dog, Tristan. Outside of work, Andrew keeps active by playing in a local LGBTQ dodgeball league.
Andy Bui, 30 (he/him)
Hometown: Montreal, QC
Occupation: Nurse practitioner
Instagram: @bui.tiful
Montrealer Andy grew up in La Belle province with his immigrant parents speaking a mixture of English, French and Vietnamese. Now he integrates all of his cultures into his baking. A nurse practitioner who works in mental health, Andy experiments with cooking and baking to unwind from work. He likes to try out new techniques or flavours until they’re perfected, then moves on to the next challenge.
Camila García Hernández, 28 (she/her/they/them)
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Occupation: Software Developer
Instagram: @camixbakes
Camila, originally from Bogotá, Colombia, moved to Canada for her tech career. Now happily settled in Toronto with her husband and their two cats, Lola and Simona, they have become ensconced in the local Latin American community. Camila’s baking hobby developed into a full-blown passion since arriving in Canada. She is eager to bring the flavours from home and experiences from her world travels to the tent.
Candice Riley, 48 (she/her)
Hometown: Brampton, ON
Occupation: Partner at a tech firm
Instagram: @candicebakeson
Candice started baking after she moved away for university and missed indulging in her family’s traditional Goan Christmas sweets trays. Now, baking is among several hobbies she uses to unwind from her workday. Candice also enjoys photography, especially capturing moments with her three children and her husband of 22 years. She rounds out her creative pursuits with music as the conductor of her local choir and as an avid patron of opera.
Heather Allen, 40 (she/her)
Hometown: Winnipeg, MB
Occupation: Literacy Educator
Instagram: @heatherswildbakes
A proud prairie girl, Heather is passionate about her Winnipeg community and often bakes for local charitable causes. She, her husband and two children love to spend their time exploring the Manitoban countryside, and their own backyard, to forage and harvest ingredients to infuse nature’s goodness into everything they make. As a literacy educator for children, Heather is also a voracious reader and immerses herself in books.
Katherine Neiman, 57 (she/her)
Hometown: Leduc, AB
Occupation: Retired professor
Kathy grew up on an Albertan farm with four siblings, where baking with her mom was part of everyday life. Now retired faculty from MacEwan University, Kathy continues the daily baking tradition while indulging her creative passions full-time, like painting, sketching, and even welding! Kathy is also an accomplished quilter, having earned prizes for her creations. Her competitive side also extends to her pride and joy, her two papillons, Sizzle and Tonka, whom Kathy enters in agility competitions.
Loïc Fauteux-Goulet, 32 (he/him)
Hometown: Creston, B.C.
Occupation: Teacher
Instagram: @loicbakes
Loïc is an all-around maker who enjoys brewing beer, sewing, building furniture, and making jewellery for his partner. He’s also an avid sailor and even took on the challenge of restoring an old sailboat. Loïc has been baking since his youth but his discovery of The Great Canadian Baking Show inspired him to take his baking to the next level. Loïc grew up in Quebec and now lives in B.C.’s Kootenay region where he teaches high school and spends his spare time foraging for ingredients to use in his baking.
Niv Saberi, 31 (she/her)
Hometown: Port Elgin, ON
Occupation: Full-time parent
Instagram: @niv.witherwhisk
Niv formerly worked in nuclear engineering and left work to focus on parenting and pursue her love of baking. She enjoys getting creative with flavours from her and her husband’s Indian and Persian cultures. Niv is active in her small community on Lake Huron where she is a vital member of the curling club, and enjoys thrifting, playing volleyball, and practising reiki. She also makes her own kombucha and teaches creative baking to kids at the local gallery.
Rainier Maksoud, 29 (he/him)
Hometown: Laval, QC
Occupation: Business Analyst
Instagram: @maisonrainier
Rainier has been baking since childhood when he spent his time creating Easy Bake Oven delights. He now works as a business analyst and uses his baking hobby for charitable efforts, such as a massive online bake sale to support disaster relief in Lebanon. Rainier’s extensive Lebanese family also keeps him busy with birthday cake orders nearly every week. He loves to make artistic and dramatic cakes influenced by the world of fashion.
Sydney Hayden, 23 (she/her)
Hometown: Halifax, NS
Occupation: Student
Instagram: @sweetlysydney
Sydney is full of ambition, studying to become a surgeon and professor, while also working as a server and at a local boutique to pay for school. That may mean that her baking projects start in the middle of the night when she’s finished work, but that doesn’t stop her from going big and trying unexpected ideas, such as lighting a seven-layer snowman cake on fire. Why not! Sydney is a proud Maritimer who loves to use local East Coast ingredients in her concoctions.
7×8: Finale
Three baker finalists step into the tent to determine who will win The Great Canadian Baking Show.
A quick look back at the three finalists’ journeys
Camila
Candice
Loïc
Signature challenge: torta diplomatica
Who made what: [Spoiler (click to open)]
Camila – coffee and caramel torta diplomatica with arequipe crème diplomat, coffee soaked ladyfingers, candied hazelnuts
Candice – apple pie torta diplomatica with apple spice crème diplomat, apple pie filling, whiskey soaked ladyfingers, lattice top
Loïc – backyard torta diplomatica with apricot crème diplomat, rhubarb vodka soaked ladyfingers, candied rhubarb
Technical challenge: ombré passion fruit milles crêpes cake
Rankings: [Spoiler (click to open)]
1 – Candice
2 – Loïc
3 – Camila
Showstopper challenge: anti-gravity illusion cake
Who made what: [Spoiler (click to open)]
Camila – stack of books with lemon poppyseed cake, white chocolate ganache, lemon ginger curd, elderflower buttercream, tempered chocolate yarn balls, fondant book covers
Candice – birdfeeder & grapevine with lemon basil cake, hibiscus jam, lemon gin buttercream
Loïc – underwater scene with hazelnut sponge, chocolate seaweed ganache, salmonberry jam, raspberry lychee jelly dome, rice paper seaweed, isomalt coral
Winner: [Spoiler (click to open)] Loïc
Bonus:
