By Ryan Flanagan
Kitchener Post staff

TV shows about cake decorating seem to be all over the dial these days, but one Kitchener woman has a clear favourite.

Chrissie Boon, owner of the Too Nice To Slice cake shop on Hoffman Street, was invited to take part in the season finale of Cake Walk: Wedding Cake Edition.

The show debuted on the Slice network on Sept. 7 and runs until the end of November. Though taped back in May, Boon’s appearance won’t be aired until the Nov. 30 finale.

“I’ve always wanted to do one of these,” said Boon. “In our industry, it’s how you establish a name for yourself. When we go to different cake conventions, everybody’s trying to show off what they’ve won and what they’ve done.”

Boon had auditioned for another cake show in the past, but her audition video wasn’t enough to impress the producers, despite two days of shooting and the assistance of a professional videographer.

So this time, she decided to keep it simple. Her husband, Justin Kozak, shot the video, and the entire process took about 15 minutes.

“We showcased what were our more unique cakes and as much of my personality as we could,” she said.

To their surprise, this one earned them the callback. Kozak, who had previously been kept away from kitchen duties, was recruited once again, needing to be brought up to speed to assist Boon on the show.

“He had a two-week crash course. I made him cover about a hundred fake cakes ahead of time to practice,” she said.

Although some of the specifics of Boon’s show, such as the results, are a closely guarded secret, the show does follow a familiar format.

Each episode features three professional cake designers who are tasked with designing a cake around a certain theme. In Boon’s episode, the theme was rustic Italian vineyards.

Each team has seven hours to complete the cake. Then the judges come in, assess each cake and render a verdict, including which will be chosen for the real-life couple who wanted that theme.

“It was a huge adrenaline rush; it was exhausting,” said Boon of the filming process.

Unlike some reality shows in which the competitors scarcely speak to each other, Boon and her two opponents went out for dinner after the taping, and one of the opponents even signed up to take cake-decorating classes at Boon’s shop.

“It was a really positive experience,” she said. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”