Mmmmm… great Canadian baking. I followed my nose to the Canadian Film Centre campus in uptown Toronto Tuesday morning as The Great Canadian Baking Show was shooting the final two episodes of its second season. The series returns Sept. 19 on CBC.
Did reporters get to sample any of the wares? We did not. I did manage to grab a Philly cheese steak bun off a craft services tray. It tasted pretty good.
The giant tent was back up and the bonus this year is that a lot more air conditioning was added. You don’t want to be baking in humitidy, cautioned chef Bruno Feldeisen, back judging along with Rochelle Adonis. With highs of 40 degrees Celsius forecast for Sunday, a lot of souffles would turn into soup. The producers were scrambling to make the final challenges stand up in the hot weather.
Ten new contestants were chosen from well over 1000 applicants. Who are they? Shh — it’s a secret until the network makes their announcement. Unlike last year, they are all kick-ass cooks, we were told. The judges say some of these home cooks could turn pro.
“They just know more about baking,” says Feldeisen .
Hosts Daniel Levy and Julia Chan say they haven’t really learned any more about cooking themselves from being involved in this series but Levy says he is an even more advanced eater. TGCBS had to be shot around his Schitt’s Creek schedule this season. That series returns for a fifth season in 2018-2019.
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Here are some other CBC premiere dates for fall:
Still Standing, This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Baroness Von Sketch Show all launch Sept. 18.
Anne with an E and The Nature of Things are both back Sept. 23.
Murdoch Mysteries returns for a 12th season Sept. 24 along with second year drama Frankie Drake Mysteries.
Mr. D goes back to school for one more season starting Nov. 7.
