Sweet Tooth: UES Dentist Lands Spot on Great American Baking Show

Q: How did you first get into baking?

A: Honestly, not until I was a little older. After graduating college I realized I really had no idea how to cook. My mother and sister said I could barely boil water! So I figured I should learn some things because I couldn’t just have spaghetti and Chinese takeout every night. There was a cooking school near me and you could volunteer to help out, so that’s what I started to do. They had community classes like “how to make your own pasta,” so I attended those to get the recipes and some instruction. But I always preferred baking because I have such a sweet tooth, and I found it very therapeutic. When I was in dental school I started a club called the “Jen Fan Club” and to get more people to sign up, I promised I’d make cookies for everyone. Then all of a sudden, my club was huge. I would bake cookies for classmates and I really enjoyed that. It was a different outlet and something I could do for myself and be proud of.

Q: How did you become a dentist and do you notice any similarities between that and baking?

A: There’s an exactness and science that goes into baking that really coincided with my career as a dentist. I knew I always wanted to do something in healthcare. When I was deciding what track to pursue, my uncle’s girlfriend at the time was a hygienist and loved it. She was very encouraging, and from there I just sort of fell into it. I think it ended up being the perfect job because I love making things very specific–there are times when I know I could take forever just sculpting one thing, and then I remember I need to be a little more realistic. I think the artistry and the science behind it are something baking definitely has in common.

Q: What made you want to go from amateur home baker to baking show contestant? How was that experience?

A: Truly, I just wanted validation. I actually started watching the show when I was building this practice just to have something to do, and honestly, I started watching the British version to fall asleep. And as I watched it I kept thinking, I bet I could do that, so I started baking more and more. When I found out there was an American version, I applied just to see what would happen. I ended up applying three times before I finally got accepted. And the experience was so positive–the most stressful part was probably the preparation. By the time I got to the show, I felt like I had done all the work already and my job was just to recreate what I’d already practiced making. It was very fun. It felt like an adult summer camp. I made great friends and we all still talk every day. The only prize for winning was a cake stand and bragging rights, so the environment was not super competitive. The show does a great job of finding people who really just want to share what they love to do.

Q: Would you ever go on a more high stakes show, or open a bakery?

A: Probably not. Baking is still really just for fun. To quote Justin Bieber, “Never say never,” but my job as a dentist is already hard enough.

Q: Do you have a favorite recipe?

A: My favorite thing to bake is an opera cake because there are so many different layers and I love the exactness of measuring everything out. I had to make a meringue roulade on the show, which I’d never made before, and I loved that. The show encouraged me to try things I’d never had before and test out making them.

Q: Who is your inspiration in baking, if anyone?

A: Hmm. This sounds horrible to say–my poor mom–but my mother was not really a cook. We’d have mac & cheese and TV dinners growing up, so she wasn’t really an inspiration in that sense. But my friends, family, and job definitely inspire me. I also play violin, and that’s been a huge inspiration. I’m part of an orchestra and I started baking things that had to do with our concerts. We performed The Death of Cleopatra by Berlioz at our last concert, so I made a fig and honey cake inspired by what I imagined Cleopatra would like.

Q: Do you have any advice for amateur bakers?

A: I say just start and keep going, you never know! You might surprise yourself. A bad croissant is still a croissant, right?

Stream season two of The Great American Baking Show for free on the Roku Channel starting Friday, May 24.