Self-taught bakers and Emily Baratta, of Redmond, and Danise Lee, of Bend, competed in Magnolia Network’s ”Silos Baking Competition,” which premiered on the Magnolia Network channel in June.

The reality baking competition is hosted by Joanna Gaines, who first gained recognition for her home-improvement show “Fixer Upper” on HGTV. Joanna and her husband, Chip Gaines, founded the lifestyle brand Magnolia, which involves home furnishings, a TV network, a magazine and real estate company, according to Britannica.

When Lee and Baratta first applied to “Silos Baking Competition,” they were turned away. But a second application won them each what Baratta refers to as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Baratta appears in episode two, “Baking with Love.”

A ‘beige log’

The episodes for the show were filmed in October in Waco, Texas. In December, Baratta, whose previous career had been in business, became the pastry chef at Feast Food Company in Redmond, which opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant in December after operating as a food truck.

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“(The owners of) Feast are just wonderful people that decided to take a chance on me when they opened the restaurant,” Baratta said.

Baratta made Twinkies, Pop Tarts and brownies prior to becoming what she refers to as a “dessert maker” at Feast Food Company.

“I call myself a dessert maker because I don’t have any training,” Baratta said.

Baratta baked a gluten-free churro-flavored Twinkie with chocolate caramel filling on the show. She said judge Megan Mitchell referred to it as a “beige log” due to its lack of presentation.

“I had some presentation ideas but (it was) 95 degrees. I couldn’t put powdered sugar on it or drizzle sauce because it also had to sit on the counter for 20 minutes,” Baratta said.

Most importantly, Joanna Gaines liked it, Baratta said.

Lee said despite Baratta’s presentation, the judges were quite enthused about the flavors in the golden sponge cake with filling.

Behind the scenes

The production involved a lot of people behind the scenes, which proved a distraction for the bakers during the competition. Lee said each competitor was assigned their own producer and cameraperson, in addition to three camera operators who would roam throughout the set.

“I was just so in awe of all of it and being able to be right there near Joanna (Gaines) and Ashley (Holt),” Baratta said. “I kept forgetting, you know, I’m in a contest.”

Baratta was thrilled to be in the same room as Holt, a pastry chef, cake artist, culinary producer, food stylist and owner of the baking company Sugar Monster, according to Netflix.

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An art form

Having spent the majority of her career in business, Baratta didn’t understand how personal art was until she started baking, she said.

“I’ve just never felt that before because well, business is business — it’s different,” she said.

Lee and Baratta agree on the fact that baking is their art form.

“How art is so subjective to people is part of the problem of art, but also it’s part of the beauty of art,” Lee said.

On the show, the bakers were expected to express their personalities through a baked good, which was not only laced with pressure, but meant any negative comments about the dessert were not just an assault on the baked good, but a personal attack.

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“You’re presenting a part of yourself, so you just want people to love it. I mean that’s why you’re doing it — to share who you are, your experiences and make someone happy,” Baratta said.

Lee said there has been a rumor circulating about another show with fan favorites returning on a future season. She has her fingers crossed, as she’s hoping at a chance of redemption for the grand prize.

Season one of “Silos Baking Competition” is available to watch on the Magnolia Network channel or to stream on Max and Discovery+

“You’re presenting a part of yourself, so you just want people to love it. I mean that’s why you’re doing it to share who you are, your experiences and make someone happy.”