Keep checking back for updates to our Fierce & Sweet Baker Contenders!

Bruce Beck aka “The Chocolate Guy” is the Chef/owner of Bruce’s Best Handrolled Chocolate Truffles and Cafe Showplace.
He has nearly 30 years experience as a cooking and baking teacher (twenty-seven years at The New School).
Bruce is also the author of PRODUCE: A FRUIT AND VEGETABLE LOVERS’ GUIDE, and THE OFFICIAL FULTON FISH MARKET COOKBOOK.
www.brucesbest.com

Noah Berland grew up in Brooklyn. He has a masters degree in Electrical Engineering and he wears suspenders. www.the-411.blogspot.com/

Bart&Ash

Bart Bland and Ashley Minogue aka “Bart&Ash” love to stuff their friends full of tasty treats.  Bart recently curated I Want Candy: The Sweet Stuff in American Art at the Hudson River Museum, and Ash saves puppies everyday at the ASPCA.

Ruby May

Talley Henning Brown aka “Ruby May” can’t cook to save her life (just ask her husband), but she’s got a mean hand with all things butter and sugar. Especially when it involves full-fat European butter and sparkly, colorful sanding sugar. A New York Cares volunteer for six years and a team leader for two, Talley (bowling name Ruby May) is a writer and editor by day. She pledges to beat egg whites till her arms burn and her head goes dizzy to give a serious sugar buzz to her favorite volunteer organization.

DeShon Butler is a good cook and that is all you need to know!

Rachel Crawford is a home baker (and cook), blogger, sometimes-actor, project manager, amateur photographer, and overall nerd. She loves to share the food she makes with anyone who will enjoy it. Rachel is originally from the West Coast,
but she has been a New Yorker for 8 amazing, whirlwind years. http://sharingfood.wordpress.com

Samantha Garrett loves a making a mess in the kitchen – the more complicated the baking project, the more likely she is to try it. Some mornings she hides freshly baked scones around the office at New York Cares for her colleagues to find.

Megan Izen aka “Nutmegs” is a utility engineering consultant by day, vegan cook and baker by night.
As a socially and health-conscious cook, she is interested in the intersection of food and racial justice.
In a former incarnation of herself, Megan co-owned a catering company in California. She lives in Brooklyn.

Joann Kim aka “bake that jojo!” went on the master cleanse diet exactly a year ago consuming nothing more than lemonade for 10 days. It traumatized her body and soul and she has been baking and eating relentlessly ever since.
Yes, her waist has expanded.
http://bakethatjojo.wordpress.com/

Sweet Greek

Constantine Malaxos aka “The Sweet Greek” has been feeding the world one mammal at a time.  He is into all things sharing, caring and sweet.  His world famous baklava can bring peace to any warring factions.

Sweetarte

Megan Moore aka “Sweetarte” has been a pastry chef for 10 years and volunteers as much time as she can with inner city kids at risk.  She finds that baking instills confidence and utilizes math and science skills, PLUS it’s fun for the kids!!!

Draculinaria

Raissa Nebie aka “Draculinaria” is a  native of Paris who has lived in Cote D’Ivoire for most of her life. Raissa loves to eat, cook and drink all things French-African. She’s an intrepid eater who approaches food with a fearless palate. From sheep intestines to agouti, alligator, crickets, gazelle and caterpillars, there is nothing she won’t try at least once. Well, except dogs and cats.  When she’s not writing or cooking for The Thrifty Gourmet, she’s usually riding her bicycle, watching people in union square, trying new restaurants or making new foodie friends.

SuzyCakes

SuzyO aka “SuzyCakes” spent years toiling in the depths of the NYC restaurant industry. She owned three joints, ’til one day she found herself at the intersection
of Bakalakadaka Street and VeryNoGoodDay Lane. She rubbed the toes of her boots together, and found herself transported to PieTown, which is where she lives now.

Look for SuzyO and her pies in the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of Bride’s Magazine, and on Fox and NBC local morning shows in November.
http://py-o-my-nyc.blogspot.com/

Allison & Matt Robicelli aka “Mom and Pop” opened up their mom and pop gourmet shop in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn in September of ‘08.  In one short year, they have received widespread acclaim for their catering, soups and sandwiches, but nothing matches the infamy of their cupcakes.  Not satisfied with the flavors or quality they had seen in the cupcake market, they began making them in very small batches, using only all-natural ingredients, French buttercreams, and coming up with flavors drawn from their New York City upbringing.   Notable flavors include “The Iona”- a pear olive oil cake with blue cheese buttercream, port reduction and candied walnuts, “The Car Bomb”- a chocolate Guinness Stout cake with Jameson ganache and Bailey’s buttercream, and the oft-imitated “Elvis”- banana cake with Cream-Nut peanut butter buttercream and brown sugar candied Berkshire bacon.  When they aren’t running a small business or baking, they are parents of the two greatest kids in the entire world: Atticus (2 1/2) and Toby (14 months).www.Robicellis.com

The Sugarplum Fairy

Alicia Sanchez aka “The Sugarplum Fairy” is the owner of the Sugarplum Bakery. She makes high-end custom cakes and cupcakes.
She also teaches a gourmet cooking class to underserved kids in the Lower East Side. www.sugarplumbakerynyc.com

Heather and Tonya

Heather Scharf & Tonya Brown aka “Heather & Tonya” work together at the Levee Bar in Brooklyn, slinging drinks and breaking up bar brawls.  They also work together at Relish Diner where Heather has been the pastry chef for years and Tonya has recently become her assistant.  The both love eating and baking unusual deserts and they hope one day (fingers crossed) to open their own bakery.  This is their first baking contest and they are both really excited about the challenge but as Heather so eloquently put it “It will be like taking candy from a baby.”  Whoa!  You better watch out, guys, because here come two tough cookies.

Kat Selvocki aka “Lemony Kickit” likes baking, roller skating, photography, knitting and compound mitre saws -
though not necessarily all at the same time. Kat is on staff at New York Cares.

Miss Masha

Masha Spaic  aka “Ms. Masha” is a loyal Brooklynite in all ways – including a staunch support of the Brooklyn Pastry scene,
which is robust with delicious local offerings. One of the saddest days of 2009 for her was the closing of Williamsburg’s Cheeks Bakery.
In addition to her love of Brooklyn and pastries, she is also a long-time devotee of New York Cares and volunteerism in general.
She admits she is also a 7-year staff veteran at New York Cares.

Tera and Michael Tarulli aka “The Investment Bakers” met  while working alongside each other in bakery nearly six years ago.
Don’t let their prior experience in baking fool you, they’re relying on their good looks and charm to win this contest since
neither seems to have any real skill when it comes to baking. Tera and Michael were married in Portland, Oregon this past August
and currently reside on the Upper East Side.  Tera is an AVP at HSBC and Michael recently left his job at Goldman Sachs to pursue an MBA at NYU.

Cupcake Hussy

Diana Whittles aka “Cupcake Hussy” is a 36 year old stay at home mom of two little boys.
She lives in Hoboken, NJ with her baby daddy and husband (one in the same) and her floppy 10 year old Basset Hound.

Check our her one of a kind, knock your socks off, hair doodads at http://CupcakeHussy2.etsy.com.