Bronx pastry chef participates in TV Halloween Baking contest

It was a spook-tacular time for a Bronx pastry chef who showcased her creepy culinary desserts on the Food Network Channel’s Halloween Baking Championship competing for a chance to win $25,000.

Though she didn’t win the season 5 hair-raising Halloween-themed challenge, 26-year-old Brittany Lombardi of Pelham Bay was ecstatic to be selected for the show among seven other contestants, which was filmed in Los Angeles in April and aired on Oct. 28.

“I wanted to try and challenge myself and put myself against some really talented bakers,” said Lombardi, who was eliminated from the competition during the second episode. “I wanted the exposure and to get out there and to see if that’s something I am capable of doing and it was really an amazing experience.”

In the first episode, Lombardi’s creations included a skeleton-themed dark chocolate cupcake dessert made with hazelnut chocolate filling and hazelnut buttercream, followed by a one-eyed monster vanilla cake with a marshmallow and raspberry filling.

For the second episode, Lombardi whipped up a coconut cream pie with a silhouette of demon fairies and a rice pudding dessert for the theme of “Day of the Dead.”

“I was so nervous. You’re in the kitchen and you don’t know where anything is, and there are three camera people on you running back and forth, but the time constraint was really difficult for me,” Lombardi said. “It was very cool though.”

It’s not the first time Lombardi has competed in a cooking competition. In 2017, she participated in the America’s Cake Fair competition in Orlando, FL. and is looking forward to competing in another competition in the future.

“Growing up in a big Italian family, cooking has always been a big part of our life and especially baking — my dad and grandmother would always be baking,” Lombardi said.

In the meanwhile, Lombardi operates her small business, Little Cake Baker, from her home.

“I do all wedding cakes and specialty cakes,” Lombardi said. “My favorite part about the job is the customers’ reaction. It’s satisfying that I can create something to help them celebrate a special occasion.”