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Florissant Bakers Are Winners of TLC’s Next Great Baker Contest
Florissant contestants Al Watson and Lia Weber, Team Blue, were named season 4 winners Aug. 19 of the TLC’s Next Great Baker. They won $100.000, the chance to work for Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro at his new Las Vegas bakery, and the title of Next Great Baker. They were at separate parties last Tuesday at Yacovelli’s Restaurant and Hendel’s Market Café.
Yacovelli’s hosted the party with Wedding Wonderland Cakeshop, where Watson is chief baker. At 8 p.m., the finale was shown on three large screens and several TVs to a packed restaurant; every room in the large restaurant and banquet center was full. Jack Yacovelli had said he expected 800 people and it looked as if there might have been more.
During the festivities, attendees had the opportunity to sample Watson’s handiwork from the Wedding Wonderland Cakeshop. A large roulette table cake sat in front of two large screen televisions, while nearly a dozen more TVs were in other parts of the banquet center for viewing. A celebration erupted at 10:00 when the Blue team put the winning key successfully into a door of the new Las Vegas Bakery where their winning cake is now displayed.
Said Wedding Wonderland Cakeshop owner Michael Temm, “We’re so proud of what Al and Lia have accomplished! They work extremely well together, and they are both very talented bakers and cake artisans.”
The parties at both locations continued after the show concluded – guests were invited to stay until midnight to celebrate Team Blue’s success and dance the night away.
At Hendel’s about a mile away, where Lia Weber is a pastry chef, an outdoor block party started at 6 p.m. St. Denis Street was blocked to traffic in front of the restaurant with a 15×20 foot screen for guests to watch the show. Weber walked through the crowd of well wishers and signed autographs all evening in a dress made of a cupcake print fabric. She was obviously well prepared and talked to so many friends at the gathering.
Hendel’s offered station of specialty foods and craft beers. One of the stations showcased desserts made by Weber. There were also shirts for sale with her Made. By Lia logo.
Weber and Watson impressed the judges throughout the season. “The lemon tart was a home run, and my favorite dessert by far (I want the recipe!). Lia is a fantastic baker. She works well under pressure, understands time management and the importance of a beautifully displayed product,” said Bobbie Lloyd of Magnolia Bakery, a judge on Next Great Baker.
Lia, now known for her French macaroons, lemon meringue tart, cheesecake and assorted pastries, is the pastry chef at Hendel’s Restaurant in Old Town Florissant and also the proprietor of Made.by Lia. She worked along side her partner Al at Wedding Wonderland Cake Shop as a cake decorator
Weber is a graduate of Trinity Catholic High School, St. Louis Community College: Forest Park, and Fontbonne University. Studying at the Apicius Culinary Institute of Florence helped hone her skills.
“This is what I’m passionate about,” Weber said. “My bakery concept is specialty sweets for any occasion, like your mom used to make, but I put a more inventive spin on it. I like doing dessert bars, a lot of special touches.”
“We were so happy and excited for this opportunity for our pastry chef and her teammate Al for making it to the final and then win the Next Great Baker,” said owner Christina Bennett of Hendel’s. She is Lia’s sister.
