By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
Abigail and Kenneth Wolf captured first place honors in the eighth week of the “Baking Championship: Next Gen” Food Network television series with their “Blake the Snake with a Rake” creation. They will advance to the final show of the sequence which airs at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 2.
They will be one of three teams competing for the championship on March 2, when two teams will be eliminated and the champion bakers will win $25,000 in prize money.
Theme for the Feb. 23 show was “Edible Animal Pals,” and the four remaining teams on the semi-final segment of the series began by watching a trailer for the new “Cat in the Hat” movie, airing in November.
Each of the four teams had to design and make an animal helper using a rhyme, and Abigail and Kenneth created “Blake the Snake with a Rake” on a cheesecake, and Blake helps people garden - a perfect entry for two kids growing up on a farm.
Abigail made a no-bake, lemon cheesecake, and Kenneth made what Judge Duff called “professional-looking pate-a-choux” cream puffs filled with raspberry diplomat cream and raspberry jam. Abigail put the finishing touches on the crème puffs by dipping them in black royal icing and painting on beautiful gold scales. Kenneth made the snake’s rake, tail, tongue and eyes out of modeling chocolate.
The Wolf siblings were proud of their finished design and when Judge Duff asked “Who do you got your eyes in the competition,” Abigail responded, “Myself,” and Judge Duff said, “This one! You are going to be unstoppable, kid!”
The brother and sister received “high fives” from Judge Duff.
Duff Goldman and Kardea Brown are the hosts and judges for the television series which has presented tricky challenges for the young bakers.
Abigail and Kenneth are the children of Dan and Erica Wolf, and the family includes sister Lucy. The Wolf family lives on a farm in Geneseo.