Julianna Jung is a Reality TV Star – Showing a Nationwide Audience that Home Bakers Have the Touch, Too
UPDATE: CONGRATS TO Champaign’s very own JULIANNA JUNG – Holiday Baking Championship Winner! Julianna Jung was crowned champion in the finale that aired on December 21. The story below was originally published on Dec. 8, 2020.
By Laura Weisskopf Bleill
Julianna Jung wasn’t looking to get famous on one of the Food Network’s most popular shows, the Holiday Baking Championship.
But after the first six episodes of the cooking competition reality series, it’s clear that the Champaign woman – a hobby baker who is competing against professional pastry chefs and bakery owners – is probably having the most fun.
Of course, on the line is more than just a good time. The grand prize is $25,000, as well as a sweet title – that of Holiday Baking Champion. But for Jung, it was never about the money or fame as the end goal.
It was really about the challenge.
“People always ask: Did you win? I can’t tell you. You guys have to watch the show and see the process, not just the end result,” she said during a recent phone interview.
As of this writing, two more shows remain of the eight-episode series. A winner will be crowned on December 21.
Jung is described on the show as a “home baker” which differentiates her from her competitors, who all have made a career in the food industry.
“I decided to go on the show because I wanted to challenge myself,” she said. “I knew it would be stressful. As a home baker, I just wanted to see where I stand. It gives me some confidence.”
True story: Jung, who found her passion for baking as a stress reliever, only bakes on the weekend. She’s committed to her career in healthcare; she’s a product manager for Health Alliance and is enrolled in graduate school, working on her master’s degree in public health via an online program through George Washington University.
That means her opportunities in the kitchen are limited these days. She certainly makes the most of the time she does have, as evidenced by her showing in the competition.
“I wanted to just enjoy, but of course I don’t want to lose,” she said. “(The show/competition) is very physically challenging and emotionally heartbreaking from time to time.”
It’s been something of a fairy tale story for Jung, who lives with her husband and two dogs in Champaign. The Holiday Baking Championships — and TV baking competitions in general — wasn’t something that was on her radar, and certainly wasn’t on her to-do list for 2020.
That all changed when she was asked to submit an application by the show’s producers, who discovered her via Instagram (which we recommend checking out, below). She still has no clue how they found her, or why they reached out to her.
Once she was cast, she spent some time getting ready for the competition by going over basic recipes, watching old episodes (this is season 7 of Holiday Baking Championship), and checking out Pinterest for decorative inspiration.
“There’s really no way to prepare for what’s going to come,” Jung said. “Every single challenge they gave me I did not expect. I was so amazed that they could come up with these challenges and not repeat.”
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Jung is proving to be quite the competitor. Duff Goldman, one of the judges and a pastry chef himself, described her as being “insanely inventive” on a recent episode.
She’s developed a reputation for creative use of exotic ingredients, including soybeans, yuzu (a type of citrus), and matcha.
“Being a home baker – I don’t want to bake the same thing all the time. The joy of being able to bake is the creativity behind it — new shapes or new flavors, not the same thing all the time.”
She described the experience as “once in a lifetime.”
Of course, the Holiday Baking Championships wasn’t actually filmed during the holidays. Jung and her fellow competitors spent two weeks in California filming the series, with long days being the norm – shooting from 8 in the morning to 10 at night. Episodes were filmed back to back.
Although stressful and taxing, she raved about the overall experience.
“I got to meet TV stars and judges that are amazing,” she said. “The producers were exceptionally professional. I could go on and on about it.”
Since this was filmed in summer 2020, COVID restrictions did play a role. It’s not discussed on the show, and it doesn’t appear to impact the results, but one side effect of the pandemic protocols meant that it was difficult to get to know her competitors as well as she would have liked. She did give shoutouts to Jamal and Lorenzo as two of her favorite competitors.
While her love of baking started in her own kitchen, it didn’t end there. Three years ago, Jung decided to enter culinary school, on a quest to pursue baking full time.
But she found that culinary school was not the right fit — “I don’t want to be cocky, but it was a bit too basic” — and she quickly switched gears and left.
What really helped advance her skills, she said, was traveling to master classes with top cake artists. These intensive short courses typically take 3-4 days at a time.
“I plan what I’m going to bake during the week, and get all the ingredients ready,” she said. “It’s a stress reliever for me. I’m always thinking about it, and when I’m thinking about it, I’m smiling all the time.”
And it might disappoint some to know that she’s not available for custom orders or commissions. Jung said that although she would love to start working with customers, for now she’s not pursuing that path.
Balancing work and school, she doesn’t have time to establish a business, set up a commercial kitchen, or get a license.
When the time comes and she’s ready to go into business, she wants to do it “the right way.”
She is open to possible collaborations with local bakeries or restaurants.
She does love the support she has received from folks in Champaign-Urbana, who are cheering her on week after week. She often reposts fan shoutouts on her Instagram story, and much of it references Champaign.
“I’m honestly surprised how many messages I’ve been getting from locals here, telling me how great I’m doing and that they are cheering for me,” she said during a recent phone interview. “I did really try hard. I’m so thankful to everyone who has reached out to me.
“It makes me really happy to know that they are enjoying the show and that they are cheering for me.”
TUNE IN FOR THE LAST TWO EPISODES OF THE HOLIDAY BAKING CHAMPIONSHIPS (and catch up on previous shows)
WHERE: The Food Network
WHEN: Episodes air on Monday nights at 8 pm Central. They can also be viewed online. The final episode will air on Monday, Dec. 21.
MORE INFO: The Holiday Baking Championships website has recipes, recaps and more.
HOW TO KEEP UP WITH JULIANNA: Follow Julianna Jung on Instagram at @cakedupjourney.