'Holiday Baking Championship' Season 11: Meet the Competitors

Season 11 of Holiday Baking Championship brings 12 new baking fanatics into the Food Network kitchens. This year, $25,000, a feature in Food Network Magazine and, of course, the iconic title of Holiday Baking Champion is on the line. Host Jesse Palmer will be joined by judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller. Let's meet the Season 11 competitors, shall we?

Megan Knudsvig is a home baker from Chehalis, Washington. She grew up watching cake-decorating videos on Food Network and started baking in high school. Now, she's a mom to three young girls, who also love to bake. “The holidays are the perfect excuse to get together,” she says.

This Jacksonsville, Florida, culinary instructor doesn't mess around. Andre Ward served in the U.S. Army as a pastry chef for 24 years. He also holds two gold medals from the IKA Culinary Olympics.

This self-taught home baker Steven Levitt hails from Aurora, Ontario. He's a fun-loving guy who's all about happiness and smiling — which is why he loves baking. “When you hand someone a baked good, they smile from ear to ear,” he said. “That never ever happens when you hand someone a bowl of steaming broccoli.”

Rolf Runkel is a pastry chef instructor from Calgary, Alberta, in Canada. Rolf grew up in Switzerland and trained in the family bakery business with his dad as his mentor. Afterwards, he pursued careers as a young chef traveling the world. “A lot of these competitors are much younger than me, and I want to prove, despite my gray hair, I can still do this,” he said.

Plymouth, Massachusetts-based bakery owner Natasha Aschoff decorates cakes for all kinds of occasions. “My family is Croatian so everything we do comes with big family culture,” she said. Natasha loves seeing her kids' faces shine during the holidays.

Karen Belton is a home bakery owner from Riverside, California. Before starting her own business, Karen was a pastry sous chef for seven years. “Holidays mean family,” she said. Karen's husband encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone and join the Holiday Baking competition.

Pastry chef Julian Coronado is best known for his custom cake decorations and French pastries. His baking approach: clean and classic. Julian lives in Fowler, California.

Jer Barrios has been baking since she was 5 years old — and it's given her an outlet to be herself in the most delicious way. “Baking has always been a safe haven for me,” she said. The pasty sous chef is based in Carson City, Nevada.

Rafi Dekrmnjian is a bakery owner in Northridge, California, who specializes in big events and little desserts. When baking, Rafi creates traditional flavors using modern and clean designs.

Delna Patel considers herself to be a chocolate queen. “Anything and everything you can think of, I can make in chocolate,” she said. Delna lives in Toronto, Ontario, in Canada, but grew up in India baking with her mother. After Delna's mother passed away, she kept baking on her own. “Everytime I bake, I feel like [my mom is] right there with me,” Delna said.

Jonathan Cedrone is a Philadelphia-based cake artist. Born with a heart defect, Jonathan was unable to play sports as a kid so he shifted his efforts towards creative activities — which eventually led him to baking. Now Jonathan is the head baker at a custom cake bakery.