“I’m having fun” — The Great American Baking Show star Elisa Veal opens up about her baking journey

While season 3 of The Great American Baking Show is underway, fans of the show are curious to know about its contestants, judges, and hosts. While the official list of contestants isn't out yet, the show's trailer shows that there are eight of them.

Released on The Roku Channel on April 11, The Great American Baking Show season 3 looks just like its famous British counterpart. Ahead of its awaited premiere, Block Club Chicago interviewed a contestant on April 9, Elisa Veal, who hails from the city's Mount Greenwood part.

As per the publication, she is a real estate executive assistant and pastor at South Shore’s Enduring Faith Christian Center. She shared how she got into baking and how she felt after baking for the first time.

"I was like, 'OK, I’m having fun with it. People are liking it, so I’m gonna keep on doing it. And it just never stopped from there,'" she said.

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What The Great American Baking Show season 3 contestant Elisa Veal said about her baking journey

Elisa talked about when she found an award-winning recipe for a red velvet cake on an online forum. More than the recipe, she focused on the key ingredients and came up with the best ways to make it. So, for the next seven years, Elisa developed her renditions with the given ingredients and even reportedly made one for The Great American Baking Show.

"I made that cake every way possible, adding eggs first, adding eggs last, creaming the fats, separating the whites from the yolks. I mean, I did every iteration on how to make a cake," she said.

Opening up about her younger self, Veal stated that she used to eat a lot, and among her favorite dishes was her mother's Southern-style sour cream pound cake. A confectionary item that would inspire her for the years to come.

Elisa never baked until she moved into her first apartment, where her aunt gifted her a KitchenAid mixer. She decided to find a way to use it, so she used it to make a batch of cookies and other recipes that she had taken down from magazines.

She admitted to having learned from trial and error. She shared that her husband's favorite dish was lemon cake, so she made about 8-10 versions of the same and came to the best conclusion.

Veal said that her friends and family, including her three daughters, challenge her to make new things, contributing to her improvement as a baker.

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What did Elisa say about her participation in The Great American Baking Show season 3?

Talking about the opportunity she got to showcase her talent at the coveted cooking show, Elisa said:

"It kind of feels like you have a race car and you’re driving on the city streets, but you want to take this race car out on the open road and just see what it’ll do without limits."

She added that she was eager to see what would come out of her if she was put into an environment where she got complete creative freedom. Jessica, Elisa's 18-year-old daughter, also commented on her views on her mom going to the show.

She said that Elisa would bake for her friends and family, or the church, but never in a way where she had to show off her baking prowess. She said that for this reason, she was proud of Elisa entering the show and finally getting to showcase her talent.

Lastly, Veal revealed her experience at The Great American Baking Show since the show was filmed in the summer of last year. She said everything outsiders knew about the show was true because they made her feel like a part of the family.

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For more updates on The Great American Baking Show season 3, fans can follow its official Instagram, @thegreatamericanbakingshow.