A Columbus pastry chef will emerge from behind the scenes to the reality TV spotlight, a move that could have him rolling in the dough.
Kyle Olson, executive pastry chef at the Hilton Columbus Downtown, will be a competitor on the new season of Food Network’s “Halloween Baking Championship.”
Olson and nine other bakers will face creepy confectionary challenges inspired by the Museum of Unnatural History in Walla Walla, Washington, where the season is set.
The winner of the competition will take home $25,000.
Olson brings 14 years of industry experience to the reality series. He leads a growing pastry team within the Hilton and develops seasonal menus for the hotel outlets, including FYR.
Season 12 of “Halloween Baking Championship” will premiere
at 9 p.m. Sept. 14.
Pumpkin carvers compete for best spooky creation
Olson isn’t the only local who will show off skills on spooky-themed Food Network shows. Central Ohio will be well-represented in the new season of “Halloween Wars.”
The 21 competitors, all of whom have appeared in past seasons, will include pumpkin-carving veterans Brian “Tator” Edwards of Grove City and David Smith of Westerville, who is also a world-champion ice sculptor.
Seven teams of pumpkin carvers and sugar artists will face off in a series of “Back from the Dead”-themed challenges, with the winning trio taking the $30,000 grand prize.
Season 16 of the series will premiere at 9 p.m. Sept. 13.
Both “Halloween Wars” and “Halloween Baking Championship” are streamed on HBO Max the day after airing on Food Network.
Contact features and entertainment reporter Belinda M. Paschal at bpaschal@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 3 central Ohio competitors join Food Network's Halloween lineup
