Sandra Lee on Bringing Spirit of State Fairs to ‘Blue Ribbon Baking Championship’

Scott Fishman August 6, 2024, 10:12 am

Jason Biggs, Sandra Lee, Bryan Ford, and Bill Yosses in Blue Ribbon Baking Championship — Netflix

Sandra Lee is serving up the Blue Ribbon Baking Championship in the spirit of the state fair. The Netflix competition series brings together 10 former Blue Ribbon winners from across the country and all walks of life in a festive bake-off for $100,000.

Lee, who has been cooking up this project for 12 years, co-hosts alongside Jason Biggs of American Pie fame. The Emmy-winning celebrity chef and best-selling author also judges on a panel featuring White House pastry chef and Baker’s Dozen host Bill Yosses and accomplished artisan baker Bryan Ford.

Here EP Lee sets the table for what’s to come.

This project was a long time in the making for you. What does it mean to have this show out?

Sandra Lee: This is digging back into the past for all of us. The first state fair was in 1765, 11 years before we were a nation. You could say food competitions have been around since then. You have vintage recipes, antique recipes, and all sorts of recipes. It was just incredible this show has been brought to life. It is the ultimate in food competition and also how-to baking. It is a marriage of the two. I created this show 12 years ago. Now partnering with Netflix has been a dream. It’s going to air in 190 countries, so I’m thrilled.

Many may not realize Jason is such a foodie. How is it having him host? Talk about what he brings.

What sealed the deal when we interviewed him was when we asked about his baking. He is actually a published baker. He has a banana bread recipe that would knock your socks off. He is incredibly funny, intelligent, quick-witted host. He was the perfect choice for this as he laid out the competition perfectly.

What would you say each judge is looking for in your assessments?

We have the wonderful Billy Yosses, former White House pastry chef for President [George W.] Bush and [Barack] Obama, as well as Bryan Ford, who is the Lenny Kravitz of baking. I think Bill is very technical about how the baked items come together and how they need to be exact. Then of course the flavor. I’m visual and big on the design elements and flavor. I think Bryan is about how it’s made and comes together. The aspects that would make it a hit at home or restaurant and the commercialism of it, which state fairs are all about.

When you go to a state fair, you’re looking for the next big baked item or your favorite you’ve had. A lot of what comes out in the culinary world and the zeitgeist annually comes from the state fair. In the next six weeks, I would say you have 24 of the biggest fairs in the nation launching. It is perfect timing, and I’m excited people get to watch it. I can promise if you watch the show through to the end, you will learn how to identify flavors and taste food a little differently while incorporating your own culinary experiences.

There are so many unique twists on the traditional and non-traditional bakes here. We’re talking everything from french-fry-inspired cookies to fresh takes for snack on a stick. How was it coming up with the challenges for the competition?

We really wanted to look at what the heart was of a state fair. What are the other categories you could ribbon in? Not just baking or cooking? We bring in a lot of different competitions that are beloved state fair competitions into the baking platform.

The atmosphere and set are also so festive.

We created our own fair. We brought in all the rides. We built out the barn. I’m about the visuals, so I wanted a beautiful barn that was designed with fabric, flags, and something that was very eye-catching with the wardrobe to match. All those things were important to me because I think visually if it’s not compelling, it doesn’t matter what the storyline is, you’re not going to watch it. The beautiful thing about state fairs, you see newborns all the way through to people in their 90s.

The competitors themselves also bring a wide spectrum.

We have a cast of amazing competitors from all over the country. They are all in it to win it. There is a $100,000 prize and the best in fair blue ribbon. By the way, those ribbons are made by the same gal who makes the ribbons for the Kentucky Derby and Westminster Kennel Club. You have to be a former ribbon winner to compete. We had one baker who won 700 ribbons. Some people are there because they are good at pies, brownies, cookies, cakes, and cake decorating. In the very first competition of the episode, we level the playing ground for all of them. That was a very important thing to do. When you get to the final episode, you are going to be shocked. When we do the balloon drop and the winner is announced, you’re going to be like, “Oh my gosh!”

How would you describe the competition format?

The first one is more to get you going and the theme. There is an advantage ribbon to be won at the end of that competition. There are two competitions in the episodes where one goes into the other with the blue ribbon competition. There are some things in between that are based on giving advantage. We even partner these people with one another. What I loved about it is it’s not only riveting television and compelling stories, you feel the camaraderie and support they give each other. A family was created on that set.

I think a very important element of this show is we are filming in real-time. There is no stop, go back to your hotel room and come back to a better place. If you mess up, you’re going to mess up for the next 12 hours. There were 12 and 14-hour days. We really laid it down. It is the most amazing baking competition on television. I found you either love competition or stand and stir. Never the two shall meet before. This is a hybrid of the two. I think for audiences it will be a game changer.

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After so much time away from television, how has it been to get back into the mix?

It has been really fun. Last year was about creating content. During COVID I was writing content. This show I created 12 years ago, and it has seen many iterations. Just like with Semi-Homemade, I was told no. It would never work, I thought, “State fairs are the platform where new food ideas are born. We’re America. We have the best competition in the world, and blue ribbons are iconic. They are the gold standard.” When you put all those things together, how could they not want to do it? I’m so grateful Netflix made it happen. This is the Olympics of baking.

Blue Ribbon Baking Championship, August 9, Netflix