SLO pastry chef made it to finale of Food Network baking show. See how she did
The San Luis Obispo Michelin star chocolatier and pastry chef was a finalist in Food Network’s newest baking competition, which aired its decisive episode on Monday night.
Florencia Breda, owner of patisserie and chocolaterie Breda in downtown SLO, competed in The Ultimate Baking Championship, representing the entire Central Coast as she created confectionary, chocolates and showstopping bakes for the show’s inaugural season.
Breda was one of three finalists competing for the $50,000 grand prize and title of Ultimate Champion.
In the end, the pastry chef placed third in the competition after creating a carnival scene using fake pretzels, candied apples and a striped tent to showcase her past of attending carnivals in Italy.
“A lot of people watching the show were like, ‘Oh my god, when can we buy this?’” Breda told The Tribune. “I’ve been doing the dessert that came out every week in the shop, so people can find it and try it. So this last one is going to be the candied apple, of an apple compote with the apple with apple mouse, the red mirror glaze, and then some chocolate mousse on the base.”
Breda at 1021 Higuera St. hosted a watch party for the finale to celebrate the end of the competition show, where over 100 friends and community members came to support and cheer on the pastry chef.
“It was insane,” she said. “We were thinking, ‘Oh, maybe around 20 people are going to show up. We didn’t have many chairs, so people sat on the floor, they hung out with us. It was great to see how much the community came through. It was insane.”
In the end, Molly Coen from Carmel won the competition after creating a rock n’ roll after-party theme with a blackout cake, cigars and bonbon.
“It’s not really always about the money. It’s about the connections that you do,” Breda said. “Now, I have these friends and colleagues that I admire for life, and it really gave me a way to see the community come together, and everyone was so happy and the place was packed. It goes beyond the winning itself.”
Breda is now turning her focus to her shop, but is always open to another competition or show in the future, she said.
