Clive teen Nash Roe to compete on Food Network show 'Kids Baking Championship'

Nash Roe seems like a regular metro-area teenager.

He hangs out with friends, spends time with family, likes traveling, and plays the piano.

But one thing separates Roe from his classmates. The Clive eighth grader is also a contestant on the new season of the long-running Food Network series “Kids Baking Championship,” a 10-week contest featuring a dozen young home bakers battling it out in a series of challenges.

The reality show, hosted by ’70s sitcom star Valerie Bertinelli and cake creator Duff Goldman, includes a special twist during its 11th season: the roster of youth competitors is already on the rise in their respective hometowns.

“In past seasons, they’ve done ‘make cupcakes, make a little macaron,’” Nash said. “This season, they really based it off your business.”

Roe is the 13-year-old owner-operator of Nash’s Confections, a home-based bakeshop known for his rendition of the classic bakery dish cinnamon rolls, the Cinna-Roe.

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Baking a beginning

During his childhood, Roe’s mom Estee went through a period where she made everything possible: from ketchup and mustard to baby food and bread. Nash would assist her in the kitchen, she said.

But the love for baked goods, which began when he was a baby, started during visits to grandma's house.

Eventually, Roe helped his grandma Debbie Roe’s good friend Maureen Sedlacek, the proprietor of Keosauqua-based Legacy Bakery, prep orders and deliver baked goods.

Then, Roe baked up a new plan and decided he wanted to become a baker himself,

“I got to help out making an order and then it like, ‘Alright, I kind of want to do this,’” Nash said. “I was sitting on my computer, and I remember it was on a yellow piece of paper and I typed, ‘What would it be like to start a baking business?’”

At age 10, Roe printed the paper out — with prices and menu items listed — and placed the yellow piece of paper next to his mom. “There were 60 items on the menu (then),” Estee Roe said.

With the help of his mom Estee’s social media following, Nash’s Confections gained a buzz among local customers during the height of the pandemic. The pastry protégé has since fulfilled 800 to 900 orders in the past two-and-a-half years and spends 15 to 25 hours per week in the family's home kitchen.

“Our kitchen is sometimes a disaster,” Nash said.

The Nash's Confections menu includes his "most requested cookie ever," a cookie topped with white chocolate chips and chopped toasted macadamia nuts, chocolate chip mega cookies stuffed with Oreos, and the Cinna-Roe.

Last summer, the teen won Best in Show, Best in Class, and Best Overall for his pecan pie cheesecake in the Elevated Desserts Championship at the Iowa State Fair.

Nash is hoping to save funds from the business for college, a Jeep vehicle, and his own bakery.

“I’m saving for college. I want a Jeep because they’re like, ‘We’re not gonna get you a car when you’re 14,'” Nash said. “I’m hoping that I can save up a little bit and also wanting to start my own in-store shop.”

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Starting from scratch to starring on the Food Network

Roe is heavily featured in this season’s “Kids Baking Championship” TV commercial teasers.

“Got it trademarked,” Roe said, in reference to his specialty cinnamon roll the Cinna-Roe during an appearance before the judges. “Trademarked?” Goldman questioned before Bertinelli quipped, “Wooooow!”

Amid emerging local stardom, Nash’s parents Estee and Ryan are dedicated to ensuring their eighth-grader still has a normal childhood by limiting his work hours and allotting free time with friends.

“On a Sunday, I do not, for me, want to get up and crank out a bunch of stuff,” Nash Roe said.

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What happens on the first episode of 'Kids Baking Championship'

The first episode begins with a challenge where the competitors showcase their bestselling desserts using the psychology of color. A news release from the network said the episode — filmed in August 2022 in Knoxville, Tennessee — challenges the contestants to pick colors that "reflect the most important aspects of their business."

The part-time baker, who has been crafting local confections for nearly three years, said the Food Network filming process was nerve-racking at times but easier than it originally seemed.

“It was stressful — not like super, super stressful but there were times,” Nash Roe said. “It was a lot, for me, easier than it seemed, than I thought it would be.”

Roe said he enjoyed getting to know Goldman, who became a household name with his Food Network show "Ace of Cakes," and making friends with other contestants and their families.

“We had really good people. We all hung out a lot after (filming),” Nash Roe said.

The show's grand prize includes a feature in Food Network Magazine, $25,000 and the title of Kids Baking Champion. The Season 11 premiere of "Kids Baking Championship" airs on the Food Network on Dec. 26 at 7 p.m.

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Where to find and follow Nash's Confections

Website: nashsconfections.com

Facebook: facebook.com/NashsConfections

Instagram: instagram.com/nashs.confections

Watch "Kids Baking Championship:" Mondays at 7 p.m., Food Network, through Feb. 20.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa teen Nash Roe will appear on 'Kids Baking Championship'