Puyallup woman could be Food Network’s next ‘Spring Baking’ champion

Jessica Duggan is a business owner, baker and mother of three.

And she could also be Food Network’s next “Spring Baking” champion.

Duggan, 40, made her national television debut on the “Spring Baking Championship,” a show that airs annually on the Food Network that follows 10 bakers from across the nation competing for a $50,000 prize. The show launched in 2015 and is on its fourth season.

“It’s my first time on TV or anything,” Duggan said in a phone interview. “It was the best experience of my life so far in my career.”

A Puyallup resident since 2005, Duggan fell in love with baking when she was little, after learning from her grandmother.

Duggan started selling her baked goods at the Puyallup Farmers Market in 2014, expanding to the Tacoma Farmers Market in 2015.

In 2016, she opened the Tattered Apron Bakery in South Hill with her husband, Brian, and became known for her scones and pies. She expanded her business with a second location in downtown Puyallup.

But in January, she had to close both locations.

“We grew too fast and we did too many things,” Duggan said. “It hurt and it sucks but we’re getting past it.”

But Duggan still has her own baking business in Puyallup, The Vintage Baker. Operating out of her home, she’ll prepare scones, cookies and other treats for farmers markets and special orders.

“The Vintage Baker is going to be the same kind of specialty items that I did at Tattered Apron,” she said.

Duggan got a call from creators of the show last year while her storefronts were still operating.

“They actually called my bakery,” Duggan said. “They reached out to us and said it would be neat for the staff and myself to apply.”

Duggan had applied to other baking shows before, but the plans fell through because of bad timing. But with “Spring Baking Championship,” she followed through. After countless Skype and phone interviews, she found she was selected in spring 2017.

Duggan flew to New Orleans to film the show in August and September and meet the other contestants.

“It was definitely an experience,” she said. “There are makeup touch-ups what seems like every 30 seconds. Everybody has their own cameraman and it goes so fast and there’s so much going on and it’s like you don’t even know how much time has gone by.”

In the first episode, which aired on Monday, the first baking challenge was to make a tie-dye cheesecake. Duggan made a spiced plum cheesecake with a toasted pecan graham cracker crust and a light citrus whipped cream. In the second competition, she made a naked ombré mojito cake with pineapple curd and lime buttercream.

Keeping within the time limit was one of the hardest parts of the show, Duggan said.

“At home you wouldn’t have yourself under a time limit and have such a precise direction for what you have to do,” she said. “So that’s a challenge.”

But her creations were enough to win over the judges — famous bakers Duff Goldman, Lorraine Pascale and Nancy Fuller — who are all role models to Duggan. She passed the first round and will continue on into episode two.

All seven episodes have already been filmed, but Duggan said she’s required to keep quiet on the results of the show.

So will Duggan be the next “Spring Baking Championship” winner? You’ll have to watch to find out.

Missed the first episode? Not to worry. The first episode of season four will air again at 1 p.m. Saturday (March 17) and 8 p.m. Monday (March 19). The newest episode will air at 9 p.m. Monday (March 19).

For more information, visit foodnetwork.com/shows/springbakingchampionship.

This story was originally published March 16, 2018 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Puyallup woman could be Food Network’s next ‘Spring Baking’ champion."