My patient this week, Vallery Lomas, has been through a lot! The winner of the first season of The Great American Baking Show -- and the first black winner of the entire Baking Show franchise -- Vallery never had her victory air on TV because the show got cancelled after one of the judges was accused of sexual harassment. Vallery had the last laugh, though; she sold a baking book, Life Is What You Bake It, that's out now in stores and it's winning raves... Publisher's Weekly called it "an inspiring collection" and I've been telling everyone I know to buy it. In today's session, Vallery walks us through the entire Baking Show experience: what it was like cooking in England (metric system!), how it felt getting judged by Paul Hollywood, and what her emotions were like when she found out the show was cancelled. We also cover her childhood in Louisiana, how she transitioned from the law to a career in food (just like me), and how she goes about developing a recipe. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amateurgourmet.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices