2 Chicago Bakers In Food Network Competition: How to Watch

The Food Network’s primetime competition series “Best Baker in America” is returning to TV and two bakers from Chicago will compete for bragging rights and cold hard cash.

Nine bakers will compete this season, which premieres at 8 p.m. on May 7.

Among the bright-eyed contestants competing for the grand prize of $25,000 — and the title of best baker in America — are two Chicago pastry chefs: Kym DeLost of Billy Lawless' restaurant group, and Leigh Omilinsky of Nico Osteria, 1015 N. Rush St.

A culinary arts grad from DePaul University, DeLost is the executive pastry chef at The Gage, 24 S. Michigan Ave., and Acanto, 18 S. Michigan Ave. She's also worked at the now-closed Japonais and Mindy's Hot Chocolate, 1747 N. Damen Ave.

Omilinsky originally wanted to be a jazz pianist, but that changed for when she was 10 years old and tasted crème brulee at San Francisco's Top of the Mark restaurant. Since then, she's pursued her passion for pastry, earning degrees in baking and pastry arts, and food service management from Johnson & Wales University. Along with Nico Osteria, she's also worked at Sofitel Chicago Water Tower, 20 E. Chestnut St.

The bakers will take on culinary challenges that test their baking expertise and inventiveness. This includes baking perfect petit fours, creating a classical French layered meringue cake and constructing a perfect strawberry shortcake. Bakers will also try to create “old school classics,” such as a Charlotte royale and a Mont Blanc cake.

"The art of baking requires incredible skill and the utmost dedication to detail, while also being able to perfectly balance technique and imagination to create the perfect dessert," said Courtney White, senior vice president of programming for the Food Network, Travel Channel and Cooking Channel. "Through the competition these nine bakers have their work cut out for them if they are going to impress the judges, and prove to viewers at home that they have what it takes to be the Best Baker in America."

The series will feature a skills challenge that tests technical baking skills as well as a master challenge that tests how baker's work with specific flavors and ingredients. It will run until the finale on Monday, June 18, where the best baker will be crowned a winner.

Here are the bakers:

• Becca Craig, executive cake chef (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
• Kym DeLost, pastry chef (Chicago)
• Jeremy Fogg, pastry chef, (New Orleans, Louisiana)
• Frania Mendivil, executive pastry chef (Los Angeles, California)
• Leigh Omilinsky, pastry chef (Chicago)
• Lasheeda Perry, executive pastry chef (Atlanta, Georgia)
• Max Santiago, executive pastry chef (Miami, Florida)
• Jean-Francois Suteau, executive pastry chef (White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia)
• Adam Young, bakery owner and head pastry chef (Mystic, Connecticut)

Profiles of each contestant will be posted on the Food Network’s website at a later date, a media representative for the show told Patch. The exact date wasn’t immediately available.

Scott Conant will host the competition and Jason Smith and Marcela Valladolid will return as judges.

They’ll be joined by rotating guest judges, including baking digital influencers Yolanda Gampp, Joshua John Russell and Gemma Stafford. Prominent cake and pastry experts Florian Bellanger, Shinmin Li, Sherry Yard and Zac Young will also serve as guest judges.

You can follow along with the show using the hashtag #BestBakerinAmerica.

Last season, Dwayne Ingraham of Oxford, Mississippi, won the grand prize and the title of best baker. Ingraham won “Cutthroat Kitchen” in 2015 and made it to the finals of the “Spring Baking Championship in 2016.

Best Baker in America

When: Premieres 8 p.m. Monday, May 7

TV: Food Network

Patch editor Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

Photo via Food Network