Pamela Kramer of Stayner has a delicious secret.
The co-op education teacher at Banting Memorial High School in Alliston is one of 10 amateur bakers competing for Canada's Best Amateur Baker prize on The Great Canadian Baking Show, airing Oct. 6 on CBC Television and CBC Gem.
Mum is the word until the results are aired.
However, news of her being on the show has spread.
"I'm getting students stopping me in the hallway asking 'Did you win?' I have to say 'I can't tell you.' It's so hard to keep the secret," said Kramer, 34.
Kramer tried to keep it on the down low when she was filming Season 8 episodes in the spring at the Canadian Film Centre in Toronto. She took a leave from work, but had to word it in a way that didn't have others worrying she was ill.
Getting chosen for the show was extremely difficult and Kramer had to show the utmost in perseverance to succeed.
She watched the first two seasons on television and then applied to be a part of the show in 2019.
"I was going through a hard time in my life and I was looking for something to develop my confidence," Kramer said.
"When I was growing up, I never had a theme of what I was known for, so when I graduated with my Masters in teaching, I decided I was going to figure out what I really enjoy doing.
"I discovered baking. I not only enjoyed it but I was good at it too," she said.
Kramer didn't learn baking from her family. Her parents immigrated to Canada from Uruguay and her mother baked only one type of cake Torta Chagá that was served at every birthday party.
So, she started experimenting with different recipes and shared the results. At Banting, she becoming known as the teacher who bakes.
In 2019, Kramer made it to the in-person baking audition, but didn't make the shortlist. She reapplied in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
"It took me eight years to get a teaching job. I thought if I can persevere for eight years to get a job, I can persevere with the Great Canadian Baking Show," she said.
As soon as casting opened in January, she applied. Kramer got an initial call back and a 15-minute interview over Zoom. Then she made the shortlist for a live audition.
However, the show has maintained remote auditions, as they did during COVID. Kramer had to set up two pieces of recording equipment and lighting in a certain way. Then she had to make a signature bake and a type of pastry, fulfilling certain rules under a time limit.
Her signature bake was a burn-away cake in the shape of a heart. The top wafer burned away revealing the message On your mark, get set, bake, which is the motto for the show and often said by hosts Ann Pornel and Alan Shane Lewis.
Then Kramer received a phone call from a producer saying they wanted to ask more questions. in fact, the only question was 'How do you feel about the fact you are on Season 8?'"
Kramer was excited. A detail-oriented person, she did the utmost to prepare for show where bakers work on three challenges, a signature bake, a technical bake and a show stopper, but it wasn't enough.
"No amount of preparation can prepare you for the 20 different cameras on you. It's very hot. The timing was a major constraint and you are up against nine of Canada's best home bakers."
Despite the challenges and the urgency, it provided Kramer with the confidence boost she sought back in 2019.
“This was the most stressful and most difficult experience that I’ve been through but the most rewarding, because I surprised myself. I did a lot under pressure."
Kramer said she was proud to showcase flavours of Uruguayan cuisine. She also learned a lot about herself.
"I learned that I'm even more passionate about baking than I thought and I am more competitive than I thought. I learned to believe in myself and it gave me the validation that I deserved a spot there," she said.
The Great Canadian Baking Show returns to CBC and CBC Gem on Sunday, October 6 at 8 p.m.
To see some of Kramer's work, visit her Instagram: @bloom.and.batter.
