With over 100 thousand followers on Instagram, it’s been a whirlwind of a journey since Katie Stymiest started her baking business Caked by Katie, and her latest exploit is appearing as a contestant on the brand-new Netflix show Cook At All Costs.
Stymiest is no stranger to television appearances either, as she was one of three Prince George based- bakers who appeared on the Food Network’s Big Holiday Bake in Nov. 2021 as part of the Reindeer Games Challenge.
But now she’s stepping out of her comfort zone with a new challenge as a home cook competing against three other cooks in the competition cooking show hosted by chef and restauranteur Jordan Andino.
“I randomly got an email one day, and I thought it was like a scam and deleted it but it was a producer from the show, and they asked if I would be interested in competing on a cooking show,” said Stymiest about how this opportunity came to be.
She eventually thought to see if it was real and replied to the email having researched the production company online.
“I was like, oh, this is actually real. Then it was really exciting and kind of nerve wracking and I thought let's check it out.”
Stymiest said she is more confident in her baking skills but was also really excited because it would be a good opportunity to show that she can cook and does enjoy cooking.
“I have no training or experience in a professional setting whatsoever with cooking. It is just me in the kitchen with my family.”
The premise of the show is to find out if a home cook can make an amazing meal regardless of the ingredients, whether or not those ingredients are really cheap or super expensive.
Three contestants all compete under pressure to cook the best meal after bidding on one of three boxes.
“There was a save box, there was a spend box, and then there was a surprise box. And so, we bid on these boxes, and we had no idea what was inside,” explained Stymiest. “Then we got our box, and it was like you know the big unveil. We opened up our boxes and then we were given a timeframe to make a meal out of those ingredients.”
Stymiest said describing cooking under pressure on the show as stressful was an understatement.
“You have this huge clock, and it's counting down and the host is doing the countdown too and it is incredibly stressful and like high pressure intense. But at the same time, because it's so high stress and intense it's really exciting!”
Before the show was announced, Stymiest was also under contract so she couldn’t tell anyone about her experience filming the show in Toronto.
“I couldn't tell anybody, obviously, like my spouse knew and then my dad knew as well because he had to help with childcare when I was gone. But that was it,” she added. “It's been driving me crazy not being able to tell anybody and share the exciting news and it feels so good to finally let it out of the bag.”
In order to prepare for the challenge, Stymiest said she practiced during her Sunday family dinners by experimenting with new recipes.
“I really used those few Sundays as like a test run almost, I would pick a style or a recipe and I would try something new and challenge myself and cook up a big feast for us.”
She first started her baking journey back when she lived in Fort St. John shortly after her first daughter was born.
“I really struggled with postpartum depression and anxiety and both as a way to stay sane and warm, I was just in the kitchen to keep busy. I randomly just decided to start baking as a thing to do to pass the time,” said Stymiest. “I put my daughter up in her little baby seat on the counter and we would literally bake all day long and I fell in love with it.”
She then launched her business Caked by Katie in 2016 taking orders online and baking at home all the while documenting it on her Instagram account @cakedbykatie where she now has more than 100,000 followers.
Stymiest said she never imagined she would have all of these incredible experiences because of her love of baking.
“I mean, you could have asked me back then, like, what's your wildest dream for baking? And I would have never, ever have guessed.”
She said the experience of being on Cook At All Costs was a wild amazing adventure.
“It is something that I don't think you could ever duplicate. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I am just so glad that I jumped on it,” said Stymiest, adding, “It’s cool that I got to represent Prince George on like a North American TV show.”
All of the episodes of Cook At All Costs are available now and streaming on Netflix.
