"I thought they were pranking me" — Spring Baking Championship star Stacy Flores recalls getting a message to join the show

Spring Baking Championship returned for season 11 on Monday, March 10, 2025, on Food Network. The show features 13 pastry chefs from across the country who compete in spring-themed baking challenges for a $25,000 prize and a feature in Food Network Magazine. Among them is Stacy Flores, an executive pastry chef at Battello in Jersey City, who is known for crafting seasonal tiramisu, panna cotta, pudding cakes, and other desserts.

In an exclusive interview with North Jersey on March 7, 2025, Flores shared how she was first approached by the show makers. She recalled the moment she received a message saying season 11 wanted "to reach out, here’s a number, call them." She further mentioned:

“I thought they were pranking me, I’m not gonna lie. I was asking all my chefs, ‘Did you write this?’”

While she could not reveal how far she made it in the competition, she described the experience as a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity. She said she has plans to watch the show premiere with friends and family.

---

"I was very nervous"—Flores talks about stepping into Spring Baking Championship for the first time

Stacy Flores, originally from Woodbridge, had never been on television before joining Spring Baking Championship. Her journey started when she received a handwritten note at work that said the show wanted to reach out to her.

Once she confirmed that the message was real, not a prank, Flores decided to take the opportunity. Having grown up watching baking shows, especially those with sculpted cakes, she shared that she always imagined herself on screen.

“That’s what I fell in love with. About two years ago, I was talking to an old chef of mine, I was like, Spring Baking Championship is so cool,” she explained.

Flores shared that it took some time to get used to the cameras constantly following her. She admitted it felt strange at first to have someone around her constantly, but she kept "pushing through."

“I was very nervous just having the cameras watching you like a hawk," she said.

The pastry chef further said she would be watching the premiere at home with her loved ones.

“I’m going to have a little watch party with all of my family, and then I’m getting all my friends to come over… I call it a Super Bowl party number two.”

---

Episode one challenges and what lies ahead

In the season premiere of Spring Baking Championship, the 13 bakers were tasked with crafting a flower-themed dessert that reflected their personality. Later, they had to prepare a honey pie as their showstopper. These spring-focused challenges will continue throughout the season with various creative themes and formats.

According to Food Network, future episodes will include desserts like butterfly-shaped napoleons, “squared off” fruit entremets inspired by A Minecraft Movie, ice-cream-filled cake bombs with a glow-in-the-dark twist, and three-layer cakes influenced by Marie Antoinette’s hairstyle. The bakers are required to work under time limits, with one contestant eliminated each week.

In the same North Jersey interview, Flores didn’t reveal how far she went in the competition, but said the experience helped her grow as a professional. Talking about adjusting to the competitive environment and being filmed, she said:

“You’ve got to get used to this and figure it out."

Throughout the season, Flores and her fellow contestants will continue baking for judges Duff Goldman, Nancy Fuller, and Kardea Brown.

---

New episodes of Spring Baking Championship air every Monday on Food Network.