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Maricsa Trejo will be one of the participants in Food Network's Halloween Baking Championship Season 8. She will join 11 other bakers competing in a haunted theme to earn the title and win a grand cash prize of $25,000. The series, consisting of eight episodes, will take place in a haunted hotel and is set to premiere on September 12, 2022, at 9 pm ET.
Maricsa Trejo owns La Casita Bakeshop (Richardson Bakery) and has become extremely popular in the North Texas pastry scene. Her skills will be critiqued by judges Stephanie Boswell, Carla Hall, and Zac Young. If she wins the competition, she will also earn a trip to America's 10 most haunted hotels.
The official synopsis of the show reads:
"On this season of HALLOWEEN BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP, host John Henson is the caretaker of a haunted hotel and will be welcoming the competitors to an eight-week stay, unless their baked goods fail to impress the judges, in which case they will have to "check out" and take the elevator to the mysterious 13th floor from which guests never return."
Maricsa Trejo was anxious to participate in the competition
In an interview with The Dallas Morning News, Maricsa confessed that she dealt with bouts of anxiety while contemplating performing well in the competition. Earlier this year, she was named a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Baker. This made her more anxious as she had to justify the title she held.
Speaking about dealing with anxiety and the pressure to do well, the Halloween Baking Championship contestant said:
“I was so nervous but most of all excited to be able to get to be a part of something like this. I suffer from bad anxiety, and this was a test for me to be able to handle that amount of stress."
Adding to the pressure was the recent accolade she was credited with. Maricsa confessed:
“I feel like after my James Beard nomination, I was nervous that I wouldn’t be taken seriously if I lost or did the show to begin with. I’m happy I did it and was able to make myself proud.”
Maricsa runs Richardson Bakery along with her husband, Alex Henderson. Recently, the shop expanded into a 6000-square-foot space. The contestant's Instagram bio terms her as "a pastry cook by profession, art maker by night, book reader by day, smile maker by evening, singer by morning, and adventurer by nature." She currently has over 600 followers.
Per her show's bio, Maricsa is a self-taught bakery owner from Texas who "lives and breathes Halloween."
The contestant has been vocal about her love for the Halloween season and is widely recognized for the seasonal pastries she comes up with for La Casita every year. Some of them include a Frankenstein scone, a bloody hand pie, and a werewolf claw, which made her a "natural fit" for the competition.
Although she couldn't reveal how she did in the Halloween Baking Championship, she told The Dallas Morning News that she was excited for viewers to witness her and other cast members' journey.
Other contestants showcasing their skills in the Halloween Bakery Championship include Justin Dominguez, Marcus Brackett, Jill Davis, AJ DeDiego, Kristi Descher, Lola Forbes, Margarita Garcia, Alexey Ivanov, Zac Mercer, Blayre Wright, and Lauren Rogers.
The Halloween Baking Championship will also be available to stream on Discovery+.
