Michigan baker, mom and storyteller to compete on the Food Network Monday

Along with baker, artist, dishwasher, wanna-be-comedian and self-proclaimed hopeless creative, Owosso resident Jill Davis can now also describe herself as a Food Network contestant.

The mother of two and owner of in-home bakery Drizzle Cakes and Bakes will premiere on the Food Network's Halloween Baking Championship season eight at 9 p.m. Monday.

Davis is competing with 11 bakers “to survive their thrilling stay at Hotel Henson” and win $25,000, according to the Food Network’s website.

“My anxiety is very high,” Davis laughed during a Wednesday phone call.

The show has been pre-recorded and episodes will be released throughout September. The episodes are broken into a “thriller” section that’s more of a flavor-focused challenge and then there’s a “killer” part that’s more grand scale. If you win, you stay, but if not you might get eliminated and go home, Davis said.

She couldn’t say what she made or how she did, but Davis said for the first episode contestants had to make a tourist pie and the second part was a blood splatter cake.

“And I will be participating in at least those two challenges because it's the first episode,” she laughed.

She’s not sure how she got Food Network’s attention, but believes representatives came across her Facebook page. She got a call early this year saying they were casting for the show if she'd like the opportunity to talk to them. After a long series of Zoom calls and interviews, Davis was told days before filming she was in, she said.

Julie Chudow, public relations manager for Food Network, did not respond to emails with questions about the show.

Davis had some stiff competition, with contestants from all over the United States ranging from a James Beard award nominee to incredibly talented artists, she said.

“Being around that much talent in that broad of a spectrum, it's just like, ‘What am I doing here?’” she said. “So it was crazy, but the cast genuinely clicked with each other.”

Davis attended culinary school and Central Michigan University. Her first professional baking job was at Chapelure in East Lansing around 2009, where she got her roots. She’s also stayed involved in the Lansing community, participating in events like Block-Aid and Rosé All Day.

But she started baking when she was a teen growing up in Yale. Her mom, Lorinda Driscoll, who retired as the Times Herald general manager in 2015 after 37 years in the industry, was her first teacher.

Her mom would make all their birthday cakes, which Davis thought was cool, and as a youth she was involved with 4-H. Over the years a hobby turned into a passion then into a career, Davis said.

“When I was first learning it and really getting into it, I kind of knew deep down in my heart this is what I want to do,” she said.

Her favorite thing about baking is focusing all her attention on the details, making the food tell a story. As a mom she tells her kids stories so it’s “ingrained in her soul” and when someone is getting married or having a birthday, that’s a story and their cake should reflect that in its decorations and details, she said.

Davis’ first son was born in February 2019 and she officially premiered Drizzle Cakes and Bakes at the Owosso Farmers Market in August 2019. Her second son was celebrating his first birthday this month. Davis calls herself a “semi stay at home mom” as the kids go to day care twice a week, but she’s with them most of the time.

She’s helping her kids grow into the people she wants them to be while also helping her business grow into what she wants it to be, she said.

“The balance is there but it is precarious,” she said.

Her husband, Carl Davis, has high praise for his wife, who he described as the most talented person he’s ever met.

“The only thing she excels at more than being a talented artist is being a mom,” he said in an email.

He said the Food Network experience has been fantastic and extremely exciting. They are waiting with anticipation for the series to come out and are planning a little watch party for the first episode with some family and friends.

Jill Davis said watching the show Monday is going to be surreal because everything happened so fast.

The cast collectively agreed going into the first bake that they all forgot anything about baking. They were in this huge, weird kitchen, there was chaos, it wasn’t their equipment, and it’s like “what is baking? I don't know why I’m here anymore, help,” she said while laughing.

“Honestly, I'm just excited to see what everybody else made because the cast is so ridiculously talented,” she said.

Participating in the show was a confidence boost, she said. Although she’s changed her career path from full-time cake artist and pastry chef to mostly full-time mom, she’s still got it.

“Getting this experience definitely showed me that I'm still worth it,” she said. “Even though I am mostly centered on my kids these days, I can still do cool things.”

Contact Bryce Airgood at 517-267-0448 or bairgood@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan mom competes on Food Network’s Halloween Baking Championship