The Truth About Chiantae Campbell From Spring Baking Championship, Season 7
The seventh season of the Food Network's Spring Baking Championship premiered on February 22, with 11 humble bakers competing for TV-celebrity status and a $25,000 prize. Miami-area baker Chiantae Campbell believes she immediately had what it took to stand about among the other contestants – although she wouldn't say anything about how well she did on the show.
"My tropical flair is definitely something that separated me from the other contestants, and that also derived my Jamaican heritage," Campbell told 6 South Florida, Miami's NBC affiliate. When the station's interviewer asked if she could drop a hint about her performance on the show, Campbell politely declined: "It will be a great season, let's just say that."
Campbell opened her bakery, Chic Little Cakes, in 2019 and was able to grow her business with word-of-mouth and a social media presence (via VoyageMIA). Chic Little Cakes specializes in all things sweet, from sugar cookies to custom cakes. Campbell told VoyageMIA that growing up in Jamaica taught her to experiment with bold flavors. "Being adventurous with cake flavors is something that so many are hesitant about but once given the opportunity to try something spontaneous and fun, the experience is mind-blowing," she said. We'll see if the judges on Spring Baking Championship agreed.
Chiantae Campbell admired the Food Network's chefs since she was a little girl
Speaking of those celebrity judges on Spring Baking Championship – Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman, and Kardea Brown (via Food Network) – the news crew at 6 South Florida asked Chiantae Campbell if she found them intimidating. Not at all, Campbell answered. In fact, when she walked up to the judge's table for the first time, she said she felt more excited than nervous. "I was like, 'Wow, I'm here! I'm really here,'" she remembered thinking at the time.
In the same interview, Campbell said she hesitated before agreeing to go on Spring Baking Championship because of COVID-19 but decided to "take the leap," as she put it. "I've been watching Food Network since I was a little girl, and I've always looked up to these famous chefs, so I went for it."
Like a lot of cooking show competitors, Campbell got an early start with her passion. She started her own home business at the age of 15, after experimenting in the kitchen with her sister, as she described on the Chic Little Cakes website. Later, she graduated with honors from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, then got on-the-job training from well-known pastry chefs Rebecca Moesinger and Joanne Chang.
If she does well enough on Spring Baking Championship, Campbell might find herself ranked right up there with her mentors.