Larissa Wilson is competing on The Great Kiwi Bake Off. Photo / Jae Frew
Tauranga woman Larissa Wilson, 22, is battling it out in The Great Kiwi Bake Off series on TV2.
Tuesday's show saw Wilson's fellow Tauranga contestant Jennie Verstappen eliminated in the first episode, leaving Wilson the sole Bay baker on the show.
Wilson moved to Tauranga (living mostly in Papamoa) at age 5 and did all of her schooling here, attending Aquinas College where her sister still attends, and it was at school she caught the baking bug.
"I did food tech as a subject during Years 7 to 10 at Aquinas College and always loved it. I have very fond memories of making hot cross buns and brown bread flavoured icecream.
The food teacher Mr Webb was one of my favourites and I spent a lot of time in the school's food tech kitchen with my friends during those early years of high school."
Now studying mechanical engineering in Christchurch, she is a passionate baker and would love a career in baking even though she has almost completed her degree.
"I love baking so much and to have it confirmed by professionals that I actually know what I'm doing would be unbelievably cool. Winning the show would also give me a confidence boost in terms of trying to pursue a career in baking."
She even had considered moving to the UK to apply to be in the show's British counterpart, The Great British Bake Off starring Mary Berry.
"When a Kiwi version came along I was so excited — it was an opportunity I couldn't ignore. I never thought I'd actually get on the show, but I knew I had to try."
Although she says she is quite a tidy baker at home, all changes on television, and she describes herself like the equivalent of a chicken tikka pie she made on the show, "very messy, quite colourful".
"When I get in front of a camera I'm actually a little disastrous, both at keeping tidy and at avoiding calamity."
Her biggest baking disaster is when she dropped a whole vegan 'beef wellington' on the floor last Christmas.
"It slid right off the tray as I was getting it out of the oven. It was meant to be my sister's Christmas lunch and actually still was because we just ate it anyway. It's funny now but it was not so funny at the time."
She is, however, good at not panicking and recovering from disaster, skills she believes essential in baking.
Although studying away from the Bay, Wilson is a regular visitor to see her family in Mount Maunganui.
"My mum is doing up the house and garden at the moment. She's an amazing gardener and has completely transformed the garden on their property. It even has a pizza oven now which is something I'm very fond of for obvious reasons."
She used to lifeguard at Papamoa Beach and loves the beach life here in the summer.
"A perfect summer's day for me would probably be walking up the Mount, cooling off with a swim at Shark Alley and then heading to Cafe 88 for one of their delicious baked goods (they are one of my favourite cafes). Another favourite cafe of mine is Love Rosie in town.
I like any cafe with a good baking selection. Especially if they've got a top notch savoury scone."
Eliminated Tauranga baker Jennie Verstappen is a registered dietician for the Western Bay PHO.
Although she spends days helping clients with diabetes and cardiovascular disease, she is not anti-sugar, and says there's nothing she loves more than donning an apron and getting her bake on.
"I wouldn't buy a packet of biscuits, but home made baking can be part of a healthy balanced diet. Baking is a huge part of celebrations, and a way of sharing love."
The Great Kiwi Bake Off is hosted by Madeleine Sami and Hayley Sproull.
Over 10 weeks, the bakers will have their cake baking, pastry, bread-making and
patisserie skills tested to the limit. On hand to judge are award-winning baker and patissier Dean Brettschneider (New Zealand's Hottest Home Baker) and renowned chef Sue Fleischl, owner of Auckland's The Great Catering Company.