Zeeland Bakery Owner Annie Paul Wins National Baking Competition
Sweet Treats + Competition = best way to enjoy a summer day
A Zeeland woman is making national headlines after she won a baking competition on Food Network and Magnolia Network.
The Silos Baking Competition is hosted by fan-favorite Joanna Gaines from HGTV's "Fixer Upper."
Gaines invited six bakers across the United States to compete in The Silos Baking Competition for their chance to win $25,000. The winner was also given the opportunity to have their baked good featured in Joanna's bakery's summer menu.
Annie Paul, owner of AP Baked Goods in Zeeland, says that she has been baking all of her life. She started this hobby turned career simply for the fun of it.
The West Michigan native told sources that
"my mom or grandmother would be baking and I'd be waiting for them to turn away, so I could sneak some cookie dough. When I was seven, I wanted to bake on my own. I asked for an Easy-Bake Oven, but my parents told me I could use the regular oven. I fell right in love with it."
Adding to how amazing Annie Paul is, during the competition in March, she had three hours to make her sweet treat in the hot Texas heat. She did all of this while four months pregnant!
For the baking competition, Paul entered her recipe for her Summer Berry Bars.
Paul told sources "the original recipe was an apple bar I created a few years back. But last summer, my daughter and I were picking strawberries and we picked way too many, so I converted the recipe to use the strawberries and it stuck."
Thank goodness that it stuck!
If you want to taste the winning Summer Berry Bars for yourself, visit AP Baked Goods.