August 27, 2014
Victory by Design
Recipes
11
Hydrate Your Way to More Energy
Around Town
4
Miss Metro St. Louis Pageant
School
7
Healthy, Homemade Options
St. Louis’ favorite bakers, Al Watson and Lia Weber, have done it! They won it all on TLC’s hit TV show, the Next Great Baker.
Photo courtesy TLC
Florissant team takes title of Next Great Baker A tandem of cake decorators from Wedding Wonderland Cake Shop headed off on an adventure last February as they took the challenge to be one of 10 teams to compete in season four of Next Great Baker. They were just happy to take part. When they won the whole thing, that was just, well, let’s just say it was really cool. The Blue Team of Al Watson and Lia Weber won the title of Next Great Baker – Season Four, a prize of $100,000 to split between them, and the opportunity to work for Cake Boss celebrity chef Buddy Valastro at the new Carlo’s Bakery at Las Vegas’ The Venetian. While the six and a half weeks of filming wrapped in April, the season finale didn’t air until Aug. 19. That’s when everyone other than the competitors found out which team had won. Wedding Wonderland owner Michael Temm found out while surrounded by close to 700 people during a season finale watch party that night at Yacovelli’s Restaurant, located across the parking lot from his business on
Dunn Road in Florissant. “It was very exciting,” said Temm, who nominated the two to compete on the show. “The end outcome was truly a testimony of my decorators and their talents and just who they are.” Watson credits Temm and everyone at Wedding Wonderland for their win. “Personally, I think a lot of it has to do with the training that Mike gave us at Wedding Wonderland,” Watson said. “I’m a much better decorator now than I was six years ago. Lia and I were very well rounded, as far as the team goes. Both had our strong suits—hers in the baking and mine in the decorating.” He also credits communication skills, time management, and people. Wedding Wonderland made do without two of its three decorators while the competition was going on. “A lot of people here were working very hard making sure we could continue to be there,” he said. He also credited family and friends and people from the Midwest, who rallied behind the team. “A lot contributed to the win,” he said.
By Shawn Clubb
Three teams remained for the show’s 90-minute season finale. They were the Blue Team, the Black Team of Manny Agigian and Al DiBartolo, and the Maroon Team of Kaiulani “Kai” Delgado and Roxanne Bodell. See VICTORY BY DESIGN page 2
Learn & Play
8
KEEN: LIVE! LAUGH! PLAY!
The Giver photo courtesy of The Weinstein Company
Movie FREE Online Subscription at mycnews.com
9