How sweet it is! Louisville pastry chef crowned ‘Best Baker in America’ on Food Network – Courier Journal
It’s Louisville executive pastry chef Jackie Joseph for all the dough — and oh how sweet it is!
On Monday night, the Sullivan University graduate and former pastry chef at The Brown Hotel and the Omni Louisville Hotel had the recipe for success as she baked her way to the top tier in the final episode of “Best Baker in America” on The Food Network.
“This entire process has been so validating for me,” Joseph told the Courier-Journal.”Because of the pandemic I had lost my job and hadn’t been in the kitchen for almost a year. Taking part in “Best Baker in America” and hearing the feedback and comments from the judges was so uplifting and shone such a light on my passion.”
For the final challenge of the eight-episode baking competition, host Carla Hall tasked Joseph with building a 2-foot-tall Hawaiian-themed dessert showpiece featuring lilikoi (passionfruit), haupia (coconut custard), malasada (Hawaiian doughnuts) and intricate chocolate work.