Meet this local baker who is mixing it up on the national stage

• Kelowna bakery owner invited to national cake show
• Contestants made extravagant creations

A local baker has gone from making custom desserts in the Okanagan to competing on national television.

Kakes by Kathie owner Kathie Dionne has appeared on an episode of “The Big Bake” on the Food Network.

“It was a little bit overwhelming. I was like ‘wow, Food Network is contacting me,'" she told Kelowna10. "It’s a little bit of validation. I know I do good work but it’s kind of nice to get that recognition from a national level."

Dionne makes wedding and custom cakes out of her bakery on Pandosy St.

She said the network had invited her before, but the filming’s were often during weddings season.

“I’m a one girl operation, so I’d never been able to make that work,” Dionne said.

During the pandemic, when weddings and gatherings were restricted, it created a window where she could take time to accept their offer.

Dionne needed a team to compete, so she enlisted the help of friends Joanne Beloin and Kaleena Van Den Born.

In January, the network flew them to Toronto for filming. This was during the height of the pandemic so extra safety precautions were taken, including rapid testing and quarantining in the hotel.

Dionne told Kelowna 10 the production crew wore hazmat suits to bring the cast their microphones. When there was a break in filming everyone had to wear double masks.

The episode she appeared on had a ‘Robots vs Aliens’ theme. The contestant’s challenge was to create a five-foot-tall cake with at least two dynamic elements, including movement.

Competing against two other groups, Dionne’s team had five hours to complete their project before being submitted to the show’s judges.

Unfortunately, the contestants didn’t get to sample their own creations.

“We were highly disappointed because it was a damn good cake,” Dionne said. “We even asked. We’re like ‘um, can we have some?’.

The judges were more fortunate, getting to sample each one.

While there are details of the show Dionne can’t divulge, she said there is a possibility of a return for her and her team to the set.

Because of current health restrictions, Dionne decided against a big party to watch the episode. She planned on watching the show with her husband and son at home.

Overall, she says the experience was positive.

“The whole experience has been a little phenomenal honestly,” Dionne said. “At the end of the day I’m really proud of myself and my team. Everything that we did and everything that we accomplished.”