A mother of three from San Mateo who battled breast cancer before starting a bespoke cake business, Jamie Li is donning her apron to compete on this season’s “Spring Baking Championship” by Food Network, out Monday nights.
The series’ 11th season kicked off March 10 with 13 bakers from around the U.S. competing to win the season title, which comes with a $25,000 prize. And Li’s not the only Northern Californian competing: Paul Feybesse, of Tarts de Feybesse fame, who lives in Vallejo, and Julian Perrigo-Jimenez of Folsom are also on the season roster. So far, all three are still contenders after the first episode, which featured challenges such as baking a dessert resembling a spring flower and crafting a highly decorated honey pie.
Li has been baking professionally since 2020, following a 20 year career in sales and beauty marketing and a battle with breast cancer while pregnant with her first child. While battling cancer, she took up cake baking as a hobby.
“It kept my mind off of what was going on,” she says.
After giving birth and undergoing chemotherapy and surgery, she decided to sharpen her skills at the San Francisco Baking Institute. As buzz grew on the Instagram account highlighting her creations, people began ordering her cakes for weddings, parties and corporate events. In 2024, she won the concept cake of the year award at the National Pastry Conference.
“My heart lies in specialty and centerpiece cakes,” she says. “I love it so much. It’s an obsession.”
When Food Network approached her about competing, she was initially nervous about saying yes. Then, she thought, “Why the hell not? Life is fleeting.”
While she can’t share any spoilers about the season, she says the competition felt incredibly fast-paced and pitted her perfectionist impulses against an unforgiving clock.
Her biggest takeaway from the show? “It’s about prioritizing your time and putting that time in where it’s important — in the kitchen and in life.”
Details: Watch Spring Baking Championship on Mondays at 5 p.m. PST at foodnetwork.com, Max and discovery+. Learn more about Li’s cakes at cakebyjamieli.com.