Where Is Abby From Food Network's Kids Baking Championship Now?
It's a moment that has etched itself into the minds of Food Network watchers everywhere: Abby Martin, the "Kids Baking Championship" contestant from 2018's Season 4, broke down on stage when the cake she had worked so hard to put together fell before her and the judge's eyes. It was an unfortunate crash that couldn't help but tug at the watcher's heartstrings. Thankfully, this emotional hiccup didn't stop Abby from finishing strong: The then-13-year-old went on to place in the top 3, ending her competition baking run with an infectious smile.
It's been years since Abby Martin won over viewers' hearts, leaving many watchers likely wondering — where is the talented little baker now? Well, one thing's for sure: Abby is not so little anymore. From college to cooking classes to captaining a cross country team, Abby Martin is a busy, ambitious, positive young woman with a bright future ahead of her. She has continued to follow her love of baking while also pursuing other professional and personal goals, all while maintaining the happy energy that earned her so many fans as a kid. Here's what Abby from Food Network's "Kids Baking Championship" has been doing since 2018.
She graduated from high school in 2022 ... and made the desserts for her own graduation party
Although it feels as though Abby Martin will forever be that 13-year-old we watched bake her heart out on-screen, time has not, in fact, stopped for the former "Kids Baking Championship" contestant. Abby continued to blossom following her iconic season, returning to her home in Franklin, Wisconsin, and attending Franklin High School. In 2022, she graduated ... and just as most excited high school graduate's families do, Abby's threw a party to commemorate the momentous event.
What made the accomplished baker's party stand out was the fact that she catered the event herself. "I am so grateful that I was able to share my baking talent with others to celebrate the special occasion!" she said in a Facebook post. "Pictured above is the massive dessert bar I made for my party ... I had the help of my fantastic sister, Katie, to make some of the cookies and brownies." Abby went on to describe the long and varied assortment of sweet treats developed for her special day: cake pops, bacon blondie brownies that matched a recipe she had used during her televised competition a few years prior, snickerdoodles, chocolate chip cookies, caramel cupcakes, cookies-and-cream cupcakes, and candied popcorn. "The cake in the middle was triple chocolate on the top tier and vanilla on the bottom!!" she finished triumphantly. "I was so proud of how the entire display turned out."
She's an avid runner, serving as team captain on her cross country team
Baking is hardly the only talent for which Abby Martin has been recognized: she is also an accomplished athlete. During her years at Franklin High School, she was a valuable member of her school's lacrosse, cross country, and track teams, even going so far as to be pronounced captain of the cross country group. Sports have been a huge part of Abby's life during her formative years, as evidenced by the poster-sized action shots from her various games and meets that decorated the walls at her graduation party.
Her contribution to her high school's sports programs was so impactful that she was recognized by a local news station in her final year at Franklin High. WVTV My24 Milkwaukie, a Wisconsin-based community sports broadcasting network, featured Abby as its Scholar Athlete of the Week in September 2021. "I am so incredibly humbled to have been named the scholar athlete for Franklin High School during last week's football game on My24!" she said in a post on Instagram beside a snapshot of the televised feature. "Here's to one more year of learning in high school and serving my Franklin community."
She worked at Chick-fil-A until leaving for college
Chick-fil-A is considered a great place to work by many first-time and seasoned employees alike, with staff across multiple platforms referring to their work environment as positive and supportive. Perhaps this appealed to Abby Martin; when the former Food Network star reached the age of employment, she slipped on the red apron and became one of the over 35,000 workers employed at the nation's largest fast-food chicken restaurant. It appears she enjoyed her experience working for the celebrated poultry chain.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for this UDDERLY aMOOsing cow cake and cake pops! I had the honor of being able to make this order to celebrate the end of team member appreciation week," she said in a post on Instagram, smiling beside an incredible cow-themed cake in the staff room at her Chick-fil-A work location. "I love my job soooo much and am thankful I am able to be a part of this wonderful chicken family ... I've included in this post some of my favorite memories I've made working at Chick-fil-A so far. Between working outside in drive thru, to making shakes, running orders in the pouring rain, and eating some delicious nugs, I have been loving every shift. I also love being able to serve my community and work for a brand that is focused on faith and spreading joy."
She's now attending University of Wisconsin-Platteville
These days, Abby isn't rushing to throw together chicken orders in the back of a Chick-fil-A restaurant — she's rushing to and from class. After her high school graduation in 2022, the "Baking Championship" star headed immediately for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, where she initially announced her plans to major in electrical engineering. After starting school, however, it appears she changed course, with later posts and videos identifying her subjects of focus as mathematics and education.
In a recent TikTok video posted by the Food Network featuring a smiling Abby Martin, the baker shared a bit about her educational journey with the masses. "I just want to let you guys know that it's all smiles back here in Wisconsin, praising God. I am now going to be a sophomore in college. I'm attending University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Major in mathematics education, so I'm gonna be a little high school teacher, which is super fun." Though some naturally might have expected Abby to have pursued baking in a formal sense, such as attending a pastry school post-high school graduation, she has opted instead to pursue a degree in a subject many didn't realize she had a knack for. "God has blessed me with a unique enthusiasm for math," she said of her major in a 2023 Facebook post, "and is calling me to share it!"
She's been teaching children's baking classes for years
Just because Abby Martin is pursuing a career as a math teacher doesn't mean that she isn't finding ways to impart her knowledge of baking to the younger generations. As it turns out, the Food Network alum has been instructing youths on how to improve their baking and decorating abilities for years via classes through her community's education and recreation department.
Kids Cookie Decorating With Abby Martin is a program offered through the Franklin Community Education and Recreation facility in Abby's home state of Wisconsin. For over five years, her responsibilities have included teaching kids ages 4 to 14 how to separate egg whites for icing, mix homemade marshmallow buttercream, drizzle chocolate, and work appropriately with messy ingredients like powdered sugar. Although the classes are currently closed on the department's website (most likely due to Abby's absence while she is away at college), we anticipate their return come summer break. This appears to have been the pattern in the summer of 2023, when Abby taught her classes in the months following the close of her freshman year in college. "It was truly such a joy being able to share some of my baking knowledge with these kiddos over the summer!" she said on her official baking Facebook page in August. "I have learned so much from them as well! Thank you guys for teaching me about creativity and positivity!"
She set up a virtual baking collaboration during quarantine
The pandemic was difficult for many, including the world's youth. Activities were canceled, schools were closed without warning, and routines were disrupted, causing an array of difficult emotions to filter their way through adolescent hearts and minds during quarantine. But Abby Martin, who was a student herself during the worldwide shutdown, decided to do something about it for both herself and others.
In an effort to promote healing through baking, the former Food Network star set up a virtual collaboration in March 2020 between herself and her fellow former contestants from "Kids Baking Championship." The objective of the bake-off was to create a dessert composed entirely of emojis that best encapsulated how the bakers felt about being quarantined ... and once these feelings were successfully transformed into bakes, the group shared their creations with each other and the world via pictures. As a secondary challenge, the young bakers were tasked with baking tiny edible smartphones. The pastry-loving adolescents crafted giant crying pastries and red-faced furious cookies, giving a sweet-tasting voice to the way the rest of the world felt during that year of worsts.
She has her own business whipping up creative cakes for clients
In between frosting cookies alongside kids in the community or whipping up sweet treats during quarantine, Abby Martin also finds time to create custom orders for clients using her specialized abilities. From exquisitely decorated anniversary cakes to sprinkled cake pops to macarons, the talented baker is constantly crafting individualized creations through her small business in order to meet the needs and visions of her various customers. "I still have people talking about your cake pops from Emmett's graduation party ... FANTASTIC!!!!" raved a happy purchaser on her Facebook page — a testament to Abby's skill in making pastries that both look and taste good.
Some of her requested creations are classic and vintage (think a simple, double-tiered white wedding cake, for example). Other clients, however, ask for pastries that are a bit more unique. One of these more humorous cake creations was posted to Abby's business Facebook page in 2021 and featured a giant white roll of edible toilet paper. "Oh Crap!" the frosted script on the top of the consumable roll read. "Mike is 50!" Surrounding the base of the toilet paper cake was a line of 3D brown poop emojis ... which were, of course, red velvet on the inside. We suppose every good baker must give their client exactly what they want — even when pastry turds are involved.
She's dating a West Point cadet
When it comes to Abby Martin's busy lifestyle, there is school, sports, work, baking ... and apparently dating. The former Food Network star has been with her sweetheart, Brock Mattson, since the two worked together at Chick-fil-A in high school. Although the pair went off to separate colleges, they have maintained their relationship; an extra-impressive feat given that their relationship required a bit more limited communication than even your average long-distance couple. This is because Brock is an army cadet at West Point who had to go through basic training: A period of six weeks in which the would-be cadet is cut off from the outside world, with the exception of letters.
"All thanks be to God for blessing me with the bravest, strongest, and most faithful man He has ever created," said Abby on Facebook in August 2023. "I am so incredibly proud to be by Brock's side cheering him on! He did it! Slayed the BEAST! Congratulations Cadet Private Mattson! You survived basic training! The past six weeks have been full of highs and lows, but God is so faithful and walked with us through it all. No more letter writing." We wish the best of luck for both Brock and Abby — not only as they strive to reach their individual educational and future goals, but for their continued happy relationship as well.
She's been invited back to the Food Network on multiple occasions
Abby Martin may have gotten a good chunk of screen time back in Season 4 of the "Kids Baking Championship," but it's not the only time she's been featured on the Food Network. Since her almost-win, the fan-favorite baker has been invited back on set on multiple occasions to assist with more recent seasons of the youth-centered bake-off.
One of these appearances took place in December 2021 — three years after her competing season — when she was brought on to help co-host an episode of the holiday edition of "Kids Baking Championship" alongside Duff Goldman. The accomplished baker did what she does best: provided a slew of encouragement to the young competitors as she walked about the set with a smile on her face. Abby's effortless ability to put young, nervous minds at ease makes it seem like she'll be a great math teacher someday. In January 2024, Abby was also featured on an episode of "How'd They Bake That?," a spin-off special featuring "Kids Baking Championship" alumni breaking down the techniques behind the bakes featured on the show.
She's a big-time Packers fan and attends games regularly
Considering Abby Martin is from Wisconsin, it shouldn't come as too much of a shock that she and her family are super fans of the Green Bay Packers. The stadium where the team plays, Lambeau Field, is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Though Lambeau Field is a good few hours away from Abby's hometown of Franklin, the drive doesn't appear to have stopped her from attending games in the freezing-cold outdoor stadium to watch her favorite team play on countless occasions over the years.
The accomplished baker's social media pages are littered with photos featuring her, her family, and her boyfriend, Brock, smiling from their vantage point at the stadium. Whether dawning the team's signature green-and-yellow colors or sporting a cheesehead hat, Abby's joy appears evident on the field. "My Packers are finally in the playoffs for the first time in a few years!!! Let's go ... I was biting my nails the whole game yesterday, but they pulled through and beat the [Lions]," she exclaimed proudly in a 2019 Facebook post. One thing's for sure: we can certainly see the baker's fierce loyalty to her team.
A true Midwesterner, she's an experienced skier
If there's one thing anyone raised in the Midwestern region of America knows without a shadow of a doubt, it's snow — and Abby Martin is no exception. There's no telling just how many snowstorms the talented baker has experienced in all of the years she has lived in this chilly region of the United States, but one thing we can observe is that she has embraced winter sports like skiing.
Abby has posted countless photos over the years of her and her beloved family members and friends at various ski resorts across the state of Wisconsin, ready to hit the slopes. "I had a blast skiing yesterday at Alpine Valley. I went down three black diamond hills!! Yay ... It's time to start Christmas baking tomorrow," she stated in a Facebook post from 2020, throwing her thumbs up alongside her sister and parents. Given Abby's accomplishments in sports and athletics, it's no surprise she has excelled in skiing, as well. We hope Abby continues to pursue her passions — whether they be in the kitchen or out in the snow — as she enters adulthood. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for this promising young baker.