(VIDEO PLAYBACK)
– The great American state fair. The sights, the smells, the rides. But the heart of these state fairs is the time-honored baking competition. Hometown pastry chefs vie for the same unique prize, the elusive blue ribbon. We’ve scoured the country for the best bakers who have won blue ribbons at state fairs across America.
– I am one of the best bakers I know. My children think so too.
– In the world of baking, ribbons are everything.
– I should just wear a t-shirt that says, “I have a lot of blue ribbons.”
– They will compete to find America’s best baker.
(PLAY END)
CATHY WURZER: You just heard the trailer for a new Netflix show called Blue Ribbon Baking Championship. And it’s no surprise that a Minnesotan is participating. Jennifer Stoker is from Buffalo and is featured on the show. Of course, she’s also participating in this year’s state fair with her baked goods. Jennifer, thank you for taking the time.
JENNIFER STOKER: Thank you for having me here.
CATHY WURZER: So you submitted your stuff to the fair. What did you get?
JENNIFER STOKER: I didn’t get any ribbons this year, but I’m in the showcases. It’s a hard-to-find blue ribbon, as they say.
(LAUGH)
CATHY WURZER: My goodness. I should obviously start by asking: How did you get into this? Where does your love of baking come from?
JENNIFER STOKER: I got my love of baking from my grandma. So she basically raised us. She was our kindergarten teacher through preschool. When we were about four or five years old, my brother and I started baking just about anything we could think of.
We watched Martha Stewart and Donna’s Day with her on TV. And Grandma picked out a few recipes. And we thought: Let’s try them out.
Grandpa would go to the store and get us everything we needed. And then we would just bake. And that’s where my love of baking comes from.
CATHY WURZER: Did she have a specialty?
JENNIFER STOKER: That’s right. She had her famous banana bread, which I still can’t recreate to this day. It’s obviously Grandma’s secret.
(LAUGH)
I try all the time. But it’s unbelievable.
CATHY WURZER: I think all grandmas have secrets like that. So…
JENNIFER STOKER: They really do.
CATHY WURZER: – when did you start baking? Baking competitions seem really difficult. When did you start?
JENNIFER STOKER: Yes, I baked for friends. I graduated high school and went to college. And I just enjoyed it. Growing up, I worked at Dairy Queen, so I got to decorate cakes a lot and enjoyed it.
And then I found out you can enter the state fair. Anyone can enter. You don’t have to, excuse me, win ribbons at other state fairs. You can just enter and do your best. And so in 2019, I decided to try it for the very first time.
CATHY WURZER: How did it go? How did it go?
JENNIFER STOKER: It went well. I actually ended up submitting 17 entries. And yes, I placed in the top 25 in all 17. I didn’t get a ribbon that year, but I was super proud.
CATHY WURZER: Wow. You have more guts than I ever had. I wouldn’t even consider submitting anything to the baking contest because I’m so pathetic. You know…
JENNIFER STOKER: (LAUGHS)
CATHY WURZER: Seriously. Do you get feedback from the judges so you can improve every year?
JENNIFER STOKER: Absolutely. The top 25 get a little questionnaire that comes back about a month after the State Fair and tells us what we could do better next year. That’s how I got feedback on all 17 of my entries.
CATHY WURZER: That’s pretty telling information. You attended the fair. You’re in a showcase at the fair this year. Your grandmother taught you to bake. Now you’re on this Netflix show. How in the world did you get into that?
JENNIFER STOKER: It was totally random. I’ve been posting my cakes on Instagram for years and suddenly a producer found me and messaged me. And it was funny because you get these messages and you think this is a scam. And her message literally said, “I promise you, this is not a scam.” And of course, how can you think otherwise?
(LAUGH)
So I actually looked it up and found out that it really does exist and it’s a real thing. And I asked my husband. I said, “What do you think?” And he said, “Do it.” So he supported me the whole time. And we decided, “Why not?”
CATHY WURZER: Is this like The Great British Baking Show? I love that show.
JENNIFER STOKER: Right?
CATHY WURZER: Is it like that? Similar?
JENNIFER STOKER: Absolutely, yes. They have adhered to a lot more restrictions than we have at state fairs as far as what we can and cannot use. Of course, there are different state fairs around the country that allow different things that Minnesota doesn’t allow. But yeah, we just…
CATHY WURZER: Wow.
JENNIFER STOKER: That’s right.
CATHY WURZER: I know you’ve had to overcome a number of challenges. What was the strangest one? Can you tell me about it?
JENNIFER STOKER: Oh, let’s see. The weirdest thing. It was funny because they were the things on a stick. So they said we needed a dessert on a stick.
And as we know here at the Minnesota State Fair, there’s regular food. Hot dogs, bacon, and all kinds of savory treats. And it’s rare to find a dessert on a stick.
So that was an interesting challenge. And in the very first episode, I was trying to think of what I could put on a stick that would be innovative. That was the weirdest part for me.
CATHY WURZER: I’m putting my money on you because, of course, it’s the Minnesota State Fair. And yes, we love things on a stick. I know you probably can’t tell me how you liked it. But was the experience overall positive?
JENNIFER STOKER: Yes. It was so stressful. It was intimidating. But it was absolutely a phenomenal experience.
CATHY WURZER: And I bet, given your experience at Dairy Queen, your cakes are the absolute best. At least, I think so.
JENNIFER STOKER: They were fantastic. They were very impressed with my designs and how relaxed I was in the kitchen baking cakes.
CATHY WURZER: But despite all the stress? Wow.
JENNIFER STOKER: Yes.
CATHY WURZER: You’ve obviously handled the stress well. And I wonder if that’s because – I know your day job is as an aerospace engineer, which probably keeps you pretty calm.
JENNIFER STOKER: That’s definitely true. It’s a whole new way of looking at what stress is and what you can get through.
CATHY WURZER: (LAUGHS) OK. So, what have you learned, by the way? Do you think what you have to do for the State Fair next year will help you?
JENNIFER STOKER: I haven’t learned it yet, but I’m going to the State Fair tomorrow to see what the others did and how I did compared to the winners, so I’m hoping to get some good looks.
CATHY WURZER: OK. And of course we’re going to watch your show on Netflix, The Blue Ribbon Baking Championship. How fun. Thanks, Jennifer.
JENNIFER STOKER: Thank you for having me here.
CATHY WURZER: Jennifer Stoker is competing on Netflix’s Blue Ribbon Baking Championship, which is streaming now. By the way, tomorrow we’ll be live at the show. Yes, we will, Minnesota Now, the whole team, me and Alanna and Ellen, Elisa, everyone.
We’ll be at the booth. We’ll be talking to someone who won the blue ribbon in a brand new category, fermented pickles. That’s quite a story. They want to hear it.
We’ll also be speaking with Jacob Frey and Melvin Carter, mayors of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. They’ll be there, along with a special guest from the Raptor Center. All this tomorrow at noon at the State Fair booth, corner of Jetson and Nelson. Thanks for listening to Minnesota Now.
