Culinary Alum Wins Food Network’s Halloween Baking Championship

Karl Fong is known as the baking ninja. That’s partly because of his speed and performance under pressure. And, it’s partly because he’s practiced martial arts for 25 years.

“I try to bring high energy, hustle, and to move quickly and efficiently,” he recently told the San Jose Mercury-News. “I love working under the pressure.”

After working in Barcelona and San Francisco, the Hercules resident spent nine years at a friend’s restaurant in Vallejo before starting his own business, Cakes by Karl, two years ago.

The producers of the Halloween Baking Championship discovered him via Yelp and asked him to compete in the show’s fifth season.

The zombie cake Karl baked in the season finale won him $25,000 and the champion title.

CCC’s Culinary Arts program was also recently recognized by the state chancellor’s office for raising student income.