By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
Abigail Wolf is shown with her grandpa, Al Wolf of Geneseo, and the cherry cake she made for him some months ago, and used that same recipe on the “Baking Championship: Next Gen” television series that she and her brother Kenneth competed in last summer. There are two shows left in the series, and the Wolf siblings are advancing to the semi-finals that will air on Monday, Feb. 23. Contributed Photo
There were some tense seconds in the final minutes of last night’s episode (Feb. 16) of the Baking Championship: Next Gen” Food Network TV series.
Abigail and Kenneth Wolf of Geneseo have pretty much coasted through the previous six segments of the series.
They were one of five teams remaining near the conclusion of Monday’s show, and when three teams were told by the judges they would be returning for the semi-finals on Monday, Feb. 24, Abigail and Kenneth Wolf knew they may be the one team that would not be invited to continue in the competition…. Fast forward a few seconds and the judges announced the other remaining team would be leaving.
That brought deep sighs of relief from many television viewers who have been supporting the Wolf siblings through the series.
The theme for the seventh week of competition (Feb. 16th) was “Big and Little Desserts,” and each team had to complete two separate tasks, the older sibling had to make a full-size dessert, and the younger sibling was tasked with making 12 small desserts that had a similar flavor.
Abigail made a cheery cake with a cream cheese frosting – a family recipe from her great-grandmother.
Kenneth made cherry tartlets with a cherry compote and a cherry whipped cream.
When the judges tasted their desserts, they commented they wanted a little more from the cherry cake, and they said the tartlets were a little thick.
However, their flavors passed the taste buds of the judges, and Abigail and Kenneth are headed to the semi-finals, which will air at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 23, with a theme of “Edible Animal Pies.”
Even though Abigail and Kenneth were not on top in the Feb. 16th show, Abigail was proud of the cake she created for the competition. She baked that cherry cake for her grandfather, Al Wolf of Geneseo, who had a double lung transplant last March. It is his family recipe and he was delighted to see it on the television show.
The brother and sister continue to support each other in their baking efforts and each takes pride in the other’s creation.
There are two episodes left, with the final show featuring three teams, two of which will be eliminated and the champion bakers will be awarded $25,000 in prize money.
They are children of Dan and Erica Wolf, and the family, which includes sister Lucy, live on a farm in Geneseo.