Brenda Villacorta, Halloween Baking Championship contestant, talks to FoodSided

Brenda Villacorta is competing on Halloween Baking Championship Season 4. Recently, she chatted with FoodSided about plated desserts, her accomplishments and her love of an unexpected Halloween candy.

Brenda Villacorta is an accomplished pastry chef. In Halloween Baking Championship Season 4, Food Network fans have seen her talents shine in the competition. While not necessarily a baker, her vast pastry and culinary knowledge has pushed her far in the competition.

Villacorta has worked with some of the best pastry chefs and innovators in the food world. From Michelin starred restaurants to the legendary Dominque Ansel, Villacorta has absorbed all types of culinary knowledge that has influenced her skills. With such a vast and varied background, she is poised to go far in the culinary world.

In many Food Network competition shows, the contestants must balance both creative flavor profiles and beautiful artistry. Specifically in Halloween Baking Championship, the contestants must find the stunning in a creepier appearance. These baked delights must tempt and trick all at the same time.

Even as the home cook looks in awe, some of these tempting spooky desserts can inspire the non-professional chef. Villcorta says that everyone can create an impressive Halloween dessert, with just a little creativity. That type of creativity suited her well in this season of Halloween Baking Championship.

Recently, Brenda Villacorta chatted with me about her vast culinary background, her thoughts on Halloween Baking Championship and even her love of a controversial Halloween candy.

Cristine Struble (CS): You have been head cook at Le Bernardin (as well as Jean George), which presents beautifully plated, intricate desserts. How do those skills help you in the Halloween Baking Championship competition?

Brenda Villacorta: Having had the opportunity of working for both Le Bernardin and Jean George was just by far what truly made me realize my love for this industry. Learning from my first fine dining Chef Joe Murphy and the Jean George Pastry Chef at the time, opened my eyes to the fine dining world at the age of 18, and really showed me what it takes to create a fine dining dessert and be a Michelin Pastry Chef. Then coming across one of the youngest most innovative pastry chefs in the industry, Thomas Raquel from Le Bernardin completed the piece I was missing to find my style in the desserts I wanted to make and truly see innovation in plated desserts. Having these intricate skills going into the competition give me an advantage because not many people have the opportunity to work and be part of places like these. Therefore it’s kind of my secret weapon because I will most likely know techniques and methods that some of the other competitors may not know.

CS: Having worked for Dominque Ansel, who is a pastry innovator, how did that experience impact the flavors and/approach of your pastry techniques?

BV: Working for Dominque Ansel definitely gave me another perspective of the pastry world. I had always worked in restaurants since the moment I decided to go to culinary school at the CIA, so when I was put in a bakery setting I was challenged to morph my fine dining experience into a bakery setting. It was a challenge because pastries in a bakery setting are very different then a restaurant setting, but it definitely did make me a well-rounded pastry chef afterwards.

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CS: Halloween Baking Championship is your second appearance on the Food Network (previously on Cake Wars), why did you to return to a Food Network competition?

BV: I love competition and challenging myself. Going on Food Network for the first time I had just turned 21 and went in blindsided. I didn’t know what to expect and was debating back and forth if I should go or not, but it was definitely worth the shot. I was definitely the underdog and I knew that going in. I was young not as experienced and well I had never sculpted a cake in my life! But I sculpt a lot and had done sugar figures multiple times before and sugar flowers because I have a family business called Sugar Art Studio where I learned all my artistic talents from my mom. Knowing I was not as experienced as the other competitors of Cake Wars Christmas it really pushed me to be even more competitive then I already was because now I really wanted to win. We started off slow but after episode two it was win after win until we won in the end. That is why I returned to a Food Network competition because I like being competitive and wanted to challenge myself once more to compete with myself and see how far I can get.

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CS: Do you think that pastry chefs (who focus more on plated desserts) or bakers have an advantage in this competition?

BV: I think bakers may have a bit more of an advantage on this show because plated desserts and bakery style desserts are very different. Kind of like two different styles of art or two different genres of music. Even though they are both made with sugar and you bake and make similar sauces, it is very different and getting out of a platted dessert mentality for me, especially a fine dining plated dessert mentality into a cute individual dessert.

CS: Halloween Baking Championship values both flavor profiles and beautiful decoration, which component do you find easier to focus on?

BV: Flavor profiles are definitely my strengths. I love finding the perfect flavor profile mixture and making sure flavors and textures never overlap each other. Decoration wise for a competition like this is a bit of a struggle because I am used to a very clean, simple, modern look on desserts and this competition was all about the Halloween. So I created a modern Halloween.

CS: For the home baker hosting a Halloween party, what easy, yet visually impressive, dessert would you recommend?

BV: For a home baker hosting a Halloween party the most simple yet delicious and impressive dessert they can make is profiteroles. You make two different sized profiteroles, one big one small. Place craquelin dough on top. Fill it with your favorite flavored pastry cream. Make your favorite color glaze for the top, stack them and let the creativity flow. You can turn it into a Frankenstein, Jack o Lantern with a bat, Mummy you name it!

CS: What is your favorite Halloween dessert and/or candy?

BV: My favorite Halloween dessert would have to be the one I mentioned above, the profiteroles. It is so simple but shows technique and a blast of flavor and creativity. I love pate a choux and pastry cream together! My favorite Halloween candy happens to be everyone’s least favorite candy! Candy Corn! I love them! That just means more for me!

Thank you Brenda Villacorta for taking the time to share your creativity. While I too love delicious profiteroles, I might have to pass on the candy corn. Be sure to watch Halloween Baking Championship Season 4 on Food Network to see how she does in this competition.