A new competition baking show on Food Network is bringing the magic of Harry Potter to a grand scale.
“Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking” is a larger-than-life new baking show that fully immerses contestants in the Harry Potter universe. Hosted by James and Oliver Phelps (who play Fred and George Weasley in the movie franchise), the show blends legendary storytelling and fantastical edible creations all on the competition floor.
“It’s a baking competition, it starts off with 9 teams of two bakers who didn’t know each other before they got into the competition. These guys are professionals in what they do. They’re the best of the best in America,” said Oliver Phelps. “They’re going for the trophy of the Wizards of Baking Champions and each bake is based on a set from the actual studios in London, and they have to come up with some inspiration from that.”
“Wizards of Baking” pairs the competitors into teams of two and has them compete alongside each other throughout the duration of the competition. Each week, the bakers make grand, eye-catching creations based on different Harry Potter sets.
The show was shot at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Watford, England, and to raise the stakes, contestants are given access to the actual film sets, including The Great Hall at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Platform 9¾, Gringotts Wizarding Bank and The Burrow. The winners will be awarded the first-ever Wizards of Baking Cup and will have the opportunity to appear in a new Harry Potter cookbook.
“Everything we’ve done with Harry Potter has always been the best of the best. The theme parks aren’t just a ride with a sticker on it,” said James Phelps. “They built the world there, the movies, they ran for eight movies and they were some of the biggest ones that have ever been made, they’re always top-top. And just like when we did this show, it is no exception.”
Among those competing in “Wizards of Baking” are New York City’s own Zoe Burmester (originally from the UK, now residing in Brooklyn) and Miko Uy (Astoria, Queens). Having competed before on past shows and as Harry Potter fans, both Burmester and Uy jumped at the opportunity to take part in the show.
“When I was told it was Harry Potter, it just immediately put it on a different consideration scale for me,” said Burmester. “There’s such a huge responsibility with such a massive, iconic franchise as Harry Potter, everybody knows it. Everyone has a story. Everyone has a bond and a connection to it. And so you come with the weight of that responsibility of wanting to do right, by the story, by the characters, by the world, it just made the whole experience just more profound.”
“I am a big Harry Potter fan. I love movies that feature wizardry and magic; it’s like an escape from the real world,” said Uy. “It feels so surreal, you get goosebumps the moment you step on the set, it feels different. It’s not just a baking competition. It’s like being one with the Harry Potter world. I feel so privileged to be part of it; it’s like living your dreams.”
Competing alongside Uy and Burmester are Kimberly Adams (Milwaukee, MI) and Ashley Cardona (Charleston, SC), Lisa Altfest (Orange County, CA) and Mitzi Reyes (Los Angeles, CA), Hemu Basumatary (Katy, TX) and Riccardo Menicucci (Los Angeles, CA), Jordan Pilarski (Ojai, CA), Jess Lewis (Washington, DC) and Jamie Louks (Seattle, WA), Kayla Giddings (Lafayette, LA) and Yohann Le Bescond (Ocala, FL), Juan Gutierrez (Chicago, IL) and Elizabeth Rowe (Dallas, TX), Michael Russ II (Modesto, CA) and Conner Strackman (Smithville, TX), and Christopher Teixeira (Chicago, IL). According to the Phelps twins, each baker was able to bring some of their own hometown spin to their bakes whenever possible.
“When we’re making Potter, and you’re very much in this bubble of that part of England where you’re filming. You don’t think about the global scope and what people are doing while they’re watching the films, or their fan base and where they’re from; they bring that into it. It really shows what, how diverse a culture it can be,” said Oliver Phelps.
Joining the judges’ panel are Carla Hall and Jozef Youssef, as well as special “Harry Potter” guest stars Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), Evana Lynch (Luna Lovegood), and Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick), who will help evaluate the bakes. The show is taking it a step further by allowing fans to try the bakes as well.
“You are with the fans, you have to talk to them, you have to sell it and it’s not just about talking but they have to experience what you’re talking about through the desserts that you’re making. There’s so much pressure on our part,” said Uy. “How are we gonna make them experience this one through the flavors that we have? It’s supposed to be fun, but when you have super fans of Harry Potter, it can be pressuring and scary at the same time because they’re expecting so much from us. They want to experience the magic through the cakes that we made or the desserts that we made.”
“It just brings a whole new level to the to the competition when you are feeding a group of people. You’re not only having to create more things, which obviously has its own sort of challenge, but I suppose the difference is that the judges are judging you very much on design and taste and your skill level and your execution,” said Burmester. “I think with the fans, people just shoot from the hip and the heart. It has to connect with them, and they have to kind of get it.”
As hosts, the Phelps twins watched the action unfold and saw how the bakers worked together.
“The one thing that I really noticed is how supportive the teams were of the other teams, like checking in saying “how are you getting on guys,” and supporting each other. There was no trash talk being talked or anything like that. It was a real nice, everybody moving in the same direction together, which was really sweet to see because there is a competition element of it as well,” said Oliver Phelps.
When the competition begins to air, Burmester is looking forward to bringing Harry Potter to life in a brand new way, while Uy is looking to showcase that not all Slytherins are as bad as you might think.
“I’m looking forward to the audience experiencing the world of Harry Potter through food, through a new medium and in a way that that they can take and maybe be inspired by and adapt themselves in their own kitchens,” said Burmester. “Food is such a universal language; everyone can relate to how certain dishes make them feel. I’m hoping that it will allow them to experience the very well-known Harry Potter stories and sets and characters just in a completely different way in a way that they haven’t seen before.”
“We all know that people are not really partial when it comes to Slytherin because we all know that they’re kind of sly. It’s all about negativity. But that’s the reason why we’re there in the show because we want to show to the world to the fans that Slytherin can be fun as well,” said Uy. “We want to bring the fun in the Harry Potter world even though we’re Slytherin that we can be fun. We can be loving, we can be nice people as well.”
The Phelps twins say that the show will help create lasting memories for Harry Potter and baking competition show fans alike.
“There’s a human story we got from these different bakers, all from different walks of life,” said Oliver Phelps. “I think the great thing for anyone who’s watching [the show] will come away with is that there’s no set right or wrong way to be a baker or to be a fan of ‘Harry Potter.’”
“After all is said and done, you’ll learn that you can be as messy as you want in the kitchen when you’re baking, so I can see it turns out well,” said James Phelps. “You will create new memories with your family and friends watching this.”
“Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking” premieres on Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network and for streaming on Max.
