Uncle Giuseppe's Baker Competes On Food Network Halloween Baking Show

TINTON FALLS, NJ — Six days a week, you'll find Megan Aucone behind the bakery counter at Uncle Giuseppe's grocery store on Shrewsbury Avenue in Tinton Falls.

But starting Monday night, she'll also be streaming into your living room.

That's because Aucone was selected to compete as a contestant in this fall's "Halloween Baking Championship," hosted by celeb pastry chef Zac Young and now in its tenth season on the Food Network. Their first episode airs at 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16.

It was Food Network producers who found Aucone, 28, through her Instagram account, Cinnabunbunn.

That's where Aucone posts photos of her ghoulish and sometimes downright bloody cake creations. Check out Aucone's terrifying snowman eating a poor gingerbread man, or her evil jack-o-lantern. Not to mention a pink fondant cake she made to look like human intestines, complete with watered-down raspberry puree "blood" dripping all over.

"They found me through my Instagram and asked if I wanted to apply for the show. I had to tell them about my culinary training, why I love baking, why I love Halloween," she said. "I make a lot of hyper-realism cakes and spooky, gory cakes. I know what I make is not for everybody. Some say wow, it's disgusting. But others say it's really cool."

Aucone received her culinary and pastry school training from Middlesex County College in Edison. She lives in Sayreville and is the head pastry chef for all 12 Uncle Giuseppe's stores in New Jersey, New York and on Long Island.

She said every day people come to the Uncle Giuseppe's in Tinton Falls and ask for a really special creation for their child's birthday.

"My inspiration comes from wanting to change the societal norms for what a typical birthday cake should look like," she said. "People come in and ask for a unique cake and I get to bang it out on a whim, make it as disgusting as I can. I really have free reign, so I love my job and I love what I do. Our prices for those specialty cakes are $150-$200, but we work with any budget."

Aucone can make beautiful traditional cakes, as well. Check out her wedding cakes with real and fondant flowers on her Instagram. She also specializes in classical French desserts like tarts and puff pastry.

But of course, it was her spooky-scary Halloween-y cakes that took her to Hollywood.

While Aucone cannot reveal many details about the show, but she did say the competition was:

"Very, very intense at times. I had to go out to L.A. for three weeks for filming. They give us an ingredient we have to use: Pumpkin. Something umami (Japanese for 'savory'). Something super sweet, something super spicy. Then you just literally have to put everything you know, all your years of training, your entire career, to the test. If something goes wrong, you have less than a minute to fix it and change direction. You have to be quick on your feet, because if you're not, that's when it backfires."

This season, producers gave the contestants themes such as "edible amputations," "creepy-crawly critters" and "zombies, monsters and witches."

Aucone is also a huge punk rock and emo fan, and she's gotten to make cakes for bands such as My Chemical Romance, Jimmy Eat World, Falling In Reverse, Silverstein and Alice & Chains when they've toured in Central Jersey and New York.

"Some the venues I’ve made cakes for are Starland Ballroom in Sayreville (my hometown), Stone Pony & House of Independence in Asbury and the Prudential Center in Newark," she said. "I haven’t made a cake for PNC just yet, but hoping I can get that opportunity!"

Watch this local young woman compete on the "Halloween Baking Championship" on the Food Network at 9 p.m. Mondays this fall. It will later start streaming on HBO and Discovery Plus.