Sarah Craichy grew up in Florida and trained as ballet dancer. Just as she was about to turn professional, a serious injury forced her to switch careers. She found a job at a chocolate factory cleaning bonbon molds, and then rose through the ranks as a pastry chef, working at resorts in Park City, Utah; Jackson Hole, Wyo.; and Las Vegas. She’s big on outdoor activities like hiking—“mountains are my happy place, for sure,” she said—so it’s no surprise that she moved to Stateline in 2024 and is now the executive pastry chef at Edgewood Tahoe Resort.
On any given day, she might be making peach and rosemary cobbler for the resort’s casual dining spots, creme brulée cheesecake with a lemon huckleberry compote for its upscale restaurant, breakfast croissants or wedding cakes—but recently, for whirlwind two weeks, she was in Los Angeles on the set of a new baking show, competing with 15 other pastry chefs for a $50,000 prize and a gold medal.
You can watch Craichy compete on The Ultimate Baking Championship, premiering Monday, March 9. on The Food Network.
What led to you competing on The Ultimate Baking Championship?
I was actually contacted about the show. I didn’t know about it prior to the phone call. I think they found me on LinkedIn and saw some of my work and thought that I would be a good candidate. I was very, very honored to be chosen for that. That was very exciting.
Was it a particular creation of yours that piqued the producers’ interest?
I specialize in chocolate. … I do a lot of sculptures as well, and show pieces, especially during the holidays. When I have a little extra time … I post about it on my social media. I believe that’s what caught their eye.
What happened next? Where did you go? How long were you there, and what was the championship like?
They invited us all down to L.A. and put us up in a hotel. It was really an amazing experience. I got to meet all of the contestants, and that’s where we filmed. The challenge (in Episode 1)—it was very exciting—was to make something sweet and crunchy. You’d think that would be quite easy, but under a competition, a million ideas rush through your head. But I was able to put together a really fun dessert. … I had an almond financier, trying to get that almond crunch aspect.
Wait, what’s that word?
Almond financier. It’s a French term for a kind of an almond butter cake. “Financier” comes from the district where the dessert was (popularized)—it’s the finance district in (Paris) France. … So, yeah, I made an almond financier cake with the toasted almonds, trying to really bring out that crunch flavor and the sweet flavor. I added a honey mascarpone cream and then a mango caramel, and on top, I had a crunchy, caramel wheel, just to add another crunch texture to it.
How long did you have to develop the recipe?
It was pretty much on the fly. They told us the competition, the rules, and they were just like, “Go for it.” It was a little chaotic. Honestly, time stands still during that moment.
What was going through your mind at this point?
There were 800 things going in my brain during the competition part of it. It the first time working in that kitchen, so you have to understand the different tools and the way the oven works and the way the blast chiller works—all on the spot. You’re figuring it out as you go along. … Also, I’m used to working at about 7,000-foot elevation, so dropping down to the elevation of L.A., that’s going to change the bake a little bit. So, all the different variables, you have to figure out in real time.
How were you feeling as all this was happening?
I would say it was a whirlwind of emotions from start to finish. In the very beginning, I was super task-oriented, trying to figure out what I was going to do. And then, once I had an idea of the vision I wanted to create, I really was able to push through and just have a little bit of fun with it, too. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, being in that sort of environment. So, being able to also take a second to be present and really just enjoy the moment—I definitely made sure to make time for that, too.
What did you learn from this experience?
Honestly, I’m just really proud of what I put out and what I was able to accomplish during this whole experience. It’s obviously not a normal situation that you find yourself in, so just pushing yourself and really showing what you’re able to do was a really proud moment for me.
This must have been quite a networking opportunity.
Yeah, honestly, one of my favorite aspects of this competition was the lifelong friends that I’ve made from it. It’s such an amazing, super-talented group of people, and I really feel fortunate to be alongside that.