Skip to main content
Few TV shows are cozier than The Great British Bake Off (known as The Great British Baking Show in the U.S.). Inspired by the U.K. reality show, Portland’s Pix Pâtisserie has decided to bring the cozy vibes to its courtyard this summer and has planned a free, all-ages amateur baking competition called The Big Portland Bake Show.
Willamette Week spoke to Cheryl Wakerhauser, owner and creator of Pix and the luxe Pix-O-Matic vending machine, about the upcoming event.
Wakerhauser was inspired by the show’s ability to bring comfort and happiness to the masses. “Having a bad day?” she says. “You could watch cat videos to cheer you up, or you could watch The Great British Bake Off.”
That’s about the extent of the monthlong event’s ambitions—to help alleviate some of the pain in the world.
For one weekend each month starting June 27, six bakers will enter the tent and participate in challenges inspired by the show, including making three types of bakes. Of course, you have your signature bakes and your technicals, and it all wraps up with the showstopper challenge. Beyond those categories, the contestants don’t know much about what they’ll be asked to do, “and they are very eager to find out,” Wakerhauser says.
Well, they do know a little. Like on the show, contestants are briefed on the first-round signature bake’s theme a week ahead of time. They can plan a two-hour bake of “whatever they like,” Wakerhauser says, “as long as it fits in the parameters of the theme.” On the show, the themes are generally a broad category, such as tarts or breads like focaccia or shortbread.
The technical, on the other hand, is top secret. “No one will know what it is until they are in the tent and find themselves in front of a gingham tablecloth hiding the mystery ingredients,” Wakerhauser says. On the show, the basket of ingredients is usually accompanied by cruelly sparse instructions for, say, a Victoria sponge or pineapple upside-down cake.
On Sunday of each weekend, it’s showstopper time, in which contestants will have four hours to complete their bake. “We will be asking the bakers to really wow us with their skill and creativity,” Wakerhauser says, sounding a bit like Prue Leith. Showstoppers are often larger undertakings that incorporate artistry skills such as piping or fondant icing. Sometimes a personal story or narrative is attached to pull on judges’ heartstrings.
For the June show at Pix, the bakers are Gabriella Anaya, Alexander Yatsko, Abi Bethea, Bettina Megowan, Chris Mortali and Michelle Wald. About the group, Wakerhauser says, “they have a vast array of backgrounds and hobbies, but the one thing they all share is a sincere passion for baking,” adding that she and fellow organizers chose the 18 total contestants for the series from a pool of 63 applicants. The criteria? “Availability, personality and skill set,” which, Wakerhauser explains, the casting crew gleaned from a short interview that included a taste test of hopefuls’ homebaked goods.
While Wakerhauser admits the contestants are excited, it’s also a high-pressure environment: “Can you imagine the stress of baking in a hot tent in front of a live audience of over 100 people? These are some brave contestants!” After each weekend, the judges will crown a star baker and an overall winner who will take home a 6-quart stand mixer and a whole lot of pride.
Spectators can also get in on the action. Not only are attendees encouraged to cheer on their favorite contestants, there will be challenges for them, too, as well as games and prizes. The audience will also be part of the judging process, though guest judges such as Pix’s lead pastry chef Katie Roberts and Papa Haydn owner Michael Gibbons will be the final arbiters. Guest chefs, such as former Lucky Strike chef and owner Rita Jai You, will also pop by to add their expert opinions.
After each competition day will be a happy hour with cocktails from Can Bar with music by DJ Action Slacks on Saturday competition days and Steve Cheseborough and Trio Açaí on Sundays. There will also be a Q&A with the contestants, similar to the confessionals at the end of each Bake Off episode.
Organizers have also promised a rotating cast of local hosts to start the challenges with a rendition of Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond’s famously warbling call: “On your marks, get set, bake!”
SEE IT: The Big Portland Bake Off at Pix Pâtisserie, 2225 E Burnside St., pixpatisserie.com/bigportlandbakeshow. 9 am–5 pm Saturday, 10 am–5 pm Sunday, June 27 and 28, July 18 and 19, and Aug. 29 and 30. Free.
