A woman who was a stay-at-home mum and later became a baker has recently walked away with US$10,000 (approx. RM44,000) on a reality TV baking competition.
The winner was Janet Tan, who was born and raised in Lahad Datu, Sabah, but currently resides in Seattle, Washington. She was named the winner of a weekly challenge held during an episode of Food Network’s Christmas Cookie Challenge.
Sabahan baker wins RM44K with Christmas cookie creation
In an interview with Malay Mail, Tan said for the first round of the challenge, she had to decorate cookies based on an “under the sea” theme, while round two required her build 3D Christmas sandcastles, complete with crushed cookie sand.
Out of the ingredients the contestants were given to work with such as papaya, mangoes, coconuts or guava, Tan found herself having to utilise coconut, a fruit she admitted she was unfamiliar with.
I managed to find a hammer to smash it open with, and with onde-onde in mind, I grated the flesh to include in my dough.
“While I was unable to replicate the flavours of the traditional Nyonya kuih without pandan essence available, the judges were nevertheless drawn to my cookie creation,” she said.
Tan said when she was named the winner of the weekly challenge, she had to hide the news for two weeks until the episode was aired on Dec 5 as the filming took place back in April.
“No one knew I had won except my husband and kids. Luckily they could keep the secret,” she quipped.
From housewife to baker
Tan also shed light on her journey of how she went from a stay-at-home mum to baker when she moved to the US in 2013 to support her husband’s career.
Although I loved being a full-time mum, I was used to working and without friends, I was getting lonely without something to keep me occupied,” she shared.
It wasn’t until she came across YouTube videos of cookie decorating that she finally decided to make customised baked goods for her daughter’s numerous parties.
“The learning curve was steep as I could not even calculate the difference between Fahrenheit and Celsius on our home oven. My friends were also shocked because I had never shown any artistic or creative talent before.”
As time went by, Tan’s baking skills soon garnered lots of attention but she was still doing it as a hobby and not a full-time job.
However, when the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown came, that was when she decided to venture into baking and founded her business, Fairyland Pastry, in 2020.
When the lockdown was lifted, she resigned from her job as a ground staff for an airline and invested herself fully into the business.
Tan added that aside from continuing to improve her baking skills, she also longs to take a trip back to Malaysia.
“I haven’t been home for about seven years. There is never a good time for the family. But I told my husband, if we don’t find the time, hopefully by next summer, I will go back without him,” she said.
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