Loïc Fauteux-Goulet, a high school teacher from Creston, has won season seven of the Great Canadian Baking Show.
He faced off in the final episode against Camila Garcia Hernandez of Toronto and Candice Riley of Brampton, Ontario.
For the finale the bakers made Torta Diplomatica for the Signature Bake, a Passionfruit Mille Crepe Cake for the Technical Challenge and an Antigravity Cake for the Show Stopper.
Loïc performed quite well in each of the three challenges, including a very intricate under the sea scene for his final bake.
The Creston Valley Advance spoke to him on Friday and he was eagerly awaiting sharing his win with all his supporters at a watch party on Sunday evening.
He says the hardest part of keeping everything secret was through the summer when no-one even knew he was on the show. Once it began to air, he enjoyed it.
“As the show unfolded, I just enjoyed watching the reactions.”
Among those reacting were his students. Mondays, Loïc says, were especially enjoyable as he would arrive at school to a flurry of fist bumps and high fives. Even students who didn’t watch the whole show would skip ahead to the end to make sure he made it.
A watch party with the entire school was planned for Monday afternoon in the auditorium.
“It’s a lot of attention on me,” he said. “But it’s fun.”
Weekly watch parties have been held at Wild North Brewing on Sunday evenings.
“The people in Creston have been incredible,” he said.
Creston being such a small town, everyone pretty much knows everyone else, but he says a few people have come up to him and said “You’re Loïc, aren’t you?”.
A little more jarring perhaps, was being recognized in Toronto last weekend, when he joined the final four for a watch party there.
“I wanted to visit them because we became friends. You become really close. The four semi-finalists, we were a tight group.”
It was that which drew him to the show in the first place, he says.
“All the bakers will tell you the same thing, the major reason they are on the show is the camaraderie. It’s heartwarming, wholesome. When you have a second of free time, you rush to help another baker. When I saw that, I thought, I want to do that.”
Loïc feels the whole process has made him a better baker.
“One key is being able to constantly assess and adjust. The first episode I was following the recipes too closely. You need to taste all the time. If it’s not working, remake.”
Asked how he came up with some of the ideas, he says he found it best to focus on what he was passionate about.
“In episode one, I made a cake about Creston. I also used my love for sailing, for the ocean, my passion for plants and botanicals.
“It’s a baking show, but it’s also a story telling show.”
As for the future, Loïc says he really enjoyed doing TV, and the media side of the food industry. If future opportunities come along, he will happily investigate them.
For now, it’s back to the school.
READ: Creston teacher in the mix on Great Canadian Baking Show
Loïc with family and fellow competitors. CBC/Geoff George photo
Loïc Fauteux-Goulet has won the Great Canadian Baking Show. CBC/Geoff George photo
