March 8, 2024 • 27 mins
"I like when you taste something and it takes you on a journey." Jen Barney, multi Food
Network baking champion.
Jen Barney grew up on a farm in Stoddard Wisconsin. Unsurprisingly, most of her ingredients are a nod to local dairy farms and products from Wisconsin. But these are not basic potluck cupcakes. Her baked goods are described as Ridiculously Awesome Desserts.
Learn about how she didn't believe the person calling her to ask that she compete on the Food Network the first time.
Find out why connections matter to this sweet and brilliant baker.
Hear about her bakery beginnings with stocking her goodies at a local coffee house and baking in her home basement.
Barney's story as a pastry chef has been loosely featured in a non-fiction novel series by Amanda Zieba.
She thanks her wonderful hubby for his photography and tech skills to help run the business which is now the brick-and-mortar "Meringue Bakery and Cafe" in historic downtown La Crosse Wisconsin.
From Canada to New Orleans to Vegas (in no particular order) we get to hear the inside track to being on a network food contest show.
What are the prizes?
Do people get along?
Does everyone eat all the cakes?
One of a kind wedding cakes with hand painted designs and flecks of gold. Why not?
This show is ala mode style, without the calories.
Network baking champion.
Jen Barney grew up on a farm in Stoddard Wisconsin. Unsurprisingly, most of her ingredients are a nod to local dairy farms and products from Wisconsin. But these are not basic potluck cupcakes. Her baked goods are described as Ridiculously Awesome Desserts.
Learn about how she didn't believe the person calling her to ask that she compete on the Food Network the first time.
Find out why connections matter to this sweet and brilliant baker.
Hear about her bakery beginnings with stocking her goodies at a local coffee house and baking in her home basement.
Barney's story as a pastry chef has been loosely featured in a non-fiction novel series by Amanda Zieba.
She thanks her wonderful hubby for his photography and tech skills to help run the business which is now the brick-and-mortar "Meringue Bakery and Cafe" in historic downtown La Crosse Wisconsin.
From Canada to New Orleans to Vegas (in no particular order) we get to hear the inside track to being on a network food contest show.
What are the prizes?
Do people get along?
Does everyone eat all the cakes?
One of a kind wedding cakes with hand painted designs and flecks of gold. Why not?
This show is ala mode style, without the calories.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I was super naiive, like Ihad no clue what I was doing,
like none, and I can't preparelike as much as I could, And
I really took it seriously. Ihad about a one month lead up to
leaving. The week before I justpracticed and practice and tried to think of
the challenges they would throw out.I think that helped. I think that
made a big difference when the competitiontype came. Stranger Connections is the embodiment
(00:23):
of Lisa David Olsen's perspective of we'reall just friends who just simply haven't met
yet. It's an exploration of theweirdly wonderful side of life and a look
at the single commonality we have witheach other, our differences. Slip off
your shoes, pour a cup ofyour favorite and let's meet this week's barrel
of quirks. Welcome to Stranger Connections, where I celebrate wonderfully weird people and
(00:47):
quirky stories. I'm your curious beastand host, Lisa david Olson, the
practically world famous business humorist and speakerand speaker coach. So invite me to
come to your event and energize yourteam. Well, today I get to
speak with an actual personal friend who'ssuper uber famous. So please welcome to
(01:10):
Stranger Connections, Jen Barney, thankyou so much for being here. Thank
you, Lisa. And I'm notvery famous, but that was a very
sweet intro. Thank you. Areyou kidding me? You won at least
three Food Network Baking Championship titles.How is that not fame? Oh?
I'm just a baker, you know, like, I'm just doing the best
(01:33):
I can. Just a baker.I'm just a mom. I just do
all the things. Yeah. Well, I am really excited to have time
to speak with you. And I'vealways wanted to ask different things. And
I know that you started out asa farm girl in Stoddard, Wisconsin and
kept your Wisconsin roots no matter whereyou went. That seems pretty important to
(01:56):
you. Yeah. Yeah, thehusband I live and Startard now. I
was raised an acre of my grandparents'farmland, and when I was competing,
I just or even when I'm outin public, I really try to be
very intentional about bringing it back toWisconsin and all the beautiful things that we
have here. It's just something thatI really feel strongly about advocating for.
(02:20):
I think that's wonderful and especially insome of your recipe videos where you actually
talk about different products like West bsour cream or things like that. You're
even name dropping. I don't knowif if that's like a NASCAR driver they
get like sponsorships. I wish Ifinished so now you I definitely want to
cover some of the contests that you'vedone and how that works. But now
(02:46):
you've got the Meringue Bakery and Cafein downtown Lacrosse, Wisconsin. I think
that's become quite the hot spot foranybody that wants to ingest gold or things
like that, because I know Ihad cupcakes from there. I had actual
gold on them, maybe a diamondor two. I don't know, right,
just some diamond dust. Yeah.Yeah, we have a downtown location.
(03:07):
We've been there for we're pushing intofive years, which is just phenomenal.
Like I can't even imagine how fasttime went, right, Wow,
people are so fast, I know, And it all started with I mean
I always knew I wanted to havea downtown location, but really the competitions
catapulted that, like into like hyperdrive for sure. Did you ever see
(03:30):
yourself as a competitor that you know, here I am making baked goods,
and didn't you start by baking whenyou were in the coffee shop. You're
working in a coffee shop, ifI remember, Yeah, Bean Juice,
yes love, yeah, yeah,I mean talk about women supporting women.
Teresa at Bean Juice in Lacrosse wasa huge help to me in the beginning,
(03:52):
and she allowed me to sell outof her cafe and even work there
when I couldn't, you know,when I was transitioning and it started my
own business and I couldn't go intoa full time I worked as a barista
there. Yes, so I definitelystarted off small. And we I mean,
if you were to ask me,like, like, what was your
dream before the before the show's hit, Like right before the show's hit,
(04:15):
we had I'm actually sitting in itright now. This is my studio bakery
at my house. And we tookabout half of our basement and turned it
into a full industrial kitchen. AndI thought, okay, like I'll do
you know, one or two weddingsa week, and I'll raise some kids.
And that was my that was mydream. And then maybe eventually when
the kids were older, I couldevolve into a downtown space. And then
(04:39):
I just this It just hit random, and I don't. I don't.
If you had asked if if Iever wanted to compete, yes, like
in a dream maybe, but itwas never something that I set out to
do, and everything just kind offell into my lap supernaturally, it didn't.
I do think the one thing thatmaybe set us apart or like,
was the seed of me competing myhusband and he's a good guy. He
(05:01):
learned photography for my business, andso we were always very intentional about taking
really good images of our work becauseit's a visual medium. And that was
just the seed, like we hadwe put it out there into the universe,
into the web, and somebody sawit. That was a scout and
then it just and then I've donefive shows in total, which is actually
(05:21):
six technically six And if you andit's it all started. Everything kind of
just fell into my lap, likeI didn't seek any of that out and
it all started from good imaging.Isn't that crazy? It makes sense because
I too have a photographer videographer hobby, and I do know it makes a
difference. And how wonderful that yourhobby knew. Okay, we're investing in
(05:46):
this, this is what matters.Yes, yep. And so when you
get to a contest, where wasyour first one? Where did you travel
to New or Leans? And youwouldn't think that, and you think that
sort of things done can California,But they it was and you would drive
past it and you would never knowthat it was a TV studio. It's
in this industrial We have a visitor, what a honeybunny? Your your dogs?
(06:11):
A cat? Yeah, lunch wantsand she wants to be still in
my spotlight. I was such abread right, Yeah, So I went
to New Orleans. The first showthat I did was called Holiday Baking Championship
and Work. I mean, atthis point, this is like seven years
ago or something, and it wasa series that I didn't I honestly because
(06:32):
I'm I like Food Network. Imean, obviously Food Network has brought me
a lot in my life, andI'm so grateful, I think just in
my career because I'm around food allday. Like, I don't crave watching
Food Network at night because I getthat ten hours a day, and so
I don't really I never really watchedthose shows, and for me, I
(06:55):
didn't understand the scope of the showthat I signed up for in the beginning
and I like I've later found outlater that it's definitely one of their most
popular shows and at the holiday season, it's like the most popular show that
WHO Network puts on. So Iwas super naive, like I had no
clue what I was doing, likenone, and I and I and I
came prepared like as much as Icould, and I really took it seriously.
(07:19):
I had about a one month leadup to leaving, and I really
I mean I cleared my schedule theweek before. I sat in this this
whole this room, and I justpracticed and practice and tried to think of
the challenges they would throw us andand you know what, and not that
everything didn't hit like I thought itwas mine too, But I think that
(07:43):
helped. I think that made abig difference when the competition time came,
because I had some ideas or Ihad stories in the back of my in
my back pocket, like with likeusing cranberries or trying to incorporate cows,
like as much as I could,or like these types of things like my
heritage bringing it to the screen.That was my goal. I don't think
other people do that as much.And I do enjoy cooking shows because I
(08:05):
barely ever cook, so I certainlyenjoy ordering food. But I think that
what you did made sense because youdon't often see I mean, some of
the shows go background on people,but you don't often hear them say this
isn't ale because I grew up ina pub or something like that. So
I think what you did is brilliant. And we do want to know behind
(08:28):
the scenes, and we do wantto know the person, not just what
they're making. So I think that'sreally great. So you think that week
in intensive week, which was sosmart to tell, I think they gave
me a huge leg up. Wonderful. So that's what you would tell somebody
should they be facing something that Okay, it's like I help people get a
ted X. Yes, you don'tknow what to expect, so do all
(08:50):
the things. Yes, a thousandpercent. And even since then, I
have had people come to me andask for like their advice or you know,
and I feel like, yeah,when you're in competition mode, like
you have to be. I'm solucky because I have a huge support system.
(09:11):
And I think that's part of ittoo, because I know leading up
to a show that my husband willsupport me no matter what in it I've
done competitions with women that I've literallybeen in rooms with women that are on
their phones with their husbands, andtheir husbands are like, why would you
called me today? And and I'mlike, she was on she was competing
all day, Like you think she'sgonna stop all you when she's on camera,
(09:35):
Like what do you think happens?So I feel like I because of
my husband and like his and hisfamily and my family, like I can
leave and focus and I can dothose things. And I'm so lucky that
I can do that. Right,it does take the whole family, and
you can tell who has that supportand who doesn't. I think that's great.
(09:56):
Yeah, and so that was youryour first one and you actually that
New Orleans? Is that the firstone that you won? That was the
first one. Yes. And thenthe next year they called me back the
same show and they were doing likea little blitz one episode appians and so
they paired. It was a funepisode and they carried us up. It
(10:18):
was even just for me to beable to meet other winners too. I
mean I still contact these people occasionallyjust to get their advice and just to
make those connections. But yet inthat show, I won too, So
that mean that was that was probablyof my favorite win because I felt like,
even though it was only one episode, I felt like like it was
(10:41):
like the cream of the crop,you know. That felt that one felt
really good and and I felt eventhat day, I felt cute, you
know, like you wake up andthen it's just like I just outside on
a good hair day. Everything wasjust and I felt like I had nothing
to prove, you know, likeI just came in like I'm gonna have
a good time, and that wasa beautiful day. I really enjoyed that
(11:01):
one and then I got home.The next year, Food Network Canada has
a show called the Big Big Cake, Big Shoot. I forgot. I've
got it like three times and Iforget the name of it Big something Big
Cakes, and it was a holidaythemed one. I brought. This was
(11:24):
this competition was different to me becauseI could bring a team with me.
So I brought an old pastry cheffriend and Jessica, who still is at
Marine Bakery. She's been with mefor a long time and she's been a
huge asset to the bakery, butshe came with me and it's a first
show that I had ever done we'remaking huge kicks, like they want five
(11:45):
tiers, they want they want mechanicalaspects, they want smoke and ears and
movement, and you know, theywant they want everything. And I didn't
love that show and it's not it'sjust not my I think I learned it's
not where my my strong suitus.So we absolutely took last place in that
one, Like there was no question. I think I just approached it really
(12:07):
wrong. When you have a bigcake show, you can't focus on details.
You got to go like focus onbig things. And I definitely did
all the wrong things that you're notsupposed to do, but I didn't know
any better. And then yeah,and then I'll just keep going. I'll
go I'll wrap up my experience andcompetition really fast. And then Jessica and
I in the same year, wewent to Milwaukee and this was not televised,
(12:30):
but we did a two day livecompetition and that was a blast,
and we had to create three differentshow piece cakes and we were competing against
other Wisconsin bakers and we won that, and then winning that was the ticket
to go to Vegas. So wegot to go to Vegas and compete in
a live competition that it was asimilar format. It was two days long.
(12:52):
We got to make like beautiful cakesunder certain themes and then they were
raided. And then it's all aboutthe connections you make, right, So,
like you meet people along the way. So we met a couple there
that were from Canada, and thenthey asked me to compete with them the
following year, so I went backbat It's called The Big Bake. That's
(13:13):
what that show is called. SoI went back to The Big Bake.
We definitely took second place, SoI'm getting better, you know, like
we're getting We're getting better. Andthen we I met and then I met
another person there who led me tothe next show. So it's just it's
all connected, right. And andthe last show that I competed with was
(13:35):
called Holliday Wars on Food Network.That was another series show, and this
one was Big Cakes as well,which, like I said, necessarily is
my favorite type of thing to do. Obviously I love doing cakes. I
just think that the mechanical part withthat is like a whole different mind that
I don't know if I I'm gladmy husband has that mind because I don't
(13:56):
have that mine. You could justfrost a music box and call it good,
right, right, that's like thateasy. But luckily I got through
that show. We won, andthen we took another challenge. So the
sixth show that I was on waswhere they took the winner of Halloween Wars
(14:16):
and pinned them against Holiday Wars,and we did a New Year's Eve special
and I was incredibly happy with ourresults. But those Hollowdew people are insane,
like the that's the next level,and everybody wants to get on that
show because it's really that's the funnestone to do. And they had a
sugar artist who was making like likesugar cups that you could actually drink out
(14:37):
of, and I couldn't touch thatwith what I had in my skill set.
So they won. They deserved it. And yeah, and then that's
that's my story of competing and allthe shows I've done. But it sounds
almost like getting into science. You'regetting away from bakery and you're getting into
construction, and then you're getting intoscience because drinking out of sugar doesn't make
(14:58):
sense scientifically. Somebody's doing something,but I mean they're probably using a three
D printer but putting in ingredients.Yes, So I at all. Do
you know what, Lisa, that'swhat the market demands right now, and
I'm not I love it. Somy husband's very technically minded and he we
have a three D printer, wehave a laser print, we have a
(15:18):
laser machine. I don't know whatyou call it, but he can.
He prints me things almost on aweekly basis for the bakery, and it's
like custom. Last week he mademe a custom cow cookie cutter that he's
three D printed. So there's allthese things he's sing senholes, custom sensils
or he's always but that's I feellike, if you want to stay ahead
of all with all the Instagram trends, like you have to have those things
(15:41):
at your at your disposal. True. And if if he's like my hobby,
I can tell he's probably the sameas this is great to help you
out, but I wouldn't want tobe doing this full time. It's fun
and I get one and now that'sgreat, Like Tadd will work with wood
and he's like, there, Imade that. That's nice. Oh would
you you ever want to make abunch and sell them? No? Actually
(16:02):
no, I did the one andit was nice, Yes, absolutely,
yes, different than us wanting tokeep doing it. But again, you
wouldn't want to make the same cake. Now when you did the contest,
did everybody get a prize or isit only the first place person? Only
the first place? Why? Right? So really, if you don't win,
(16:22):
you're at a financial loss. It'snot like you know, because you're
giving up time away and that's allexpensive, and that's you know, I
really wish at some point, Iwish that competition shows would maybe reimburse a
living wage while you're filming, youknow, I feel like that's a fair
thing to ask. But maybe somedaywe'll get there. Right. That's a
(16:45):
lot of times, like like inspeaking, you're paying to get there and
then you get You might get paidto speak, you might not. It
just depends on the gig. Butyeah, and then ends up costing you
away from work in the milete Sothat is tough, but at least it's
opening up a little bit more sothen the time and you didn't win first
place, did you end up payingfor travel? They pay for travel,
(17:07):
and they do take very good careof you, like it's their job.
They've got people there that are likewranglers that make making sure you're eating,
like it's not like it's like Idon't want to give that impression at all,
right, but if you but genuinely, if you don't win like I've
had, I've competed with people thathave had have lost their jobs because like
their employer wouldn't give them time off, but this has been their dream,
(17:29):
So like what are you supposed todo? So I've worked with multiple people
that have because they want to doa competition. And then and then you
have to be able to financially supportyourself if you're you know, how many
people can take off work for aweek and that's okay, you know,
like that's not real life for alot of people, and so those types
of that's just just real you know. Oh wow, that's a lot to
(17:49):
think about it. And that goesto show the driving force that you were
against and and will be again.Because it sounds like you get invited a
lot, and you also were featured. Your story was featured in one of
Amanda Zeba's books. Right, Yeah, it's not so cool, it's not
the best. A man is amazingjust in general, you've never read any
(18:11):
of her books, just a localauthor in Lacrosse, and she it's loose,
very loosely inspired. So she hada cookbook or I'm sorry, huh,
that's my world. She has abook that it was about a chocolate
tear from the luth who fell inlove and through caution to the wind and
(18:33):
opened up a chocolate shop in superiorsomewhere. And she so at the same
time I think that book was finishingup, I was starting my first competition
and it inspired her to continue thatstory where the female the woman goes in
the second book she competes. Soyeah, and there isn't that, but
it is cool that it's a verynice series. Yes, yes, yeah,
(18:56):
I love that because I remember heropening her book lunch and you were
there and it was like, aha, this is all together, Okay,
I get this now. That isfantastic. And I think it's so fun
when the food that you make atthe shows what happens to it. I
(19:17):
think people can offend it when Isay, if it's discarded, but you
don't want to eat that food,like it's good, mean, it's good
food, but it's also prepared bypeople who are in a hurry and like
they're maybe not like washing their handsentirely, like for sixty seconds or thirty
seconds that you're singing there And yes, and I think because when you're in
(19:37):
these types of challenges, it's justnot practical. It's just and I don't
let that's sad to say, butI feel like, of all the food
waste in all the world, likelike that's the one it's okay to let
go. So then when they're judgingthe taste, then they must be giving
allowance. Yes, of course thejudges try it, they eat it,
(20:02):
but then the food it goes intoa dumpster. Oh, I bet there's
a lot of people backstage getting gettingit out of the dumpster. Though.
Yeah, I'm sure that they'd takesome home. I have heard of like
I was. It was actually ahuge honor one of like a really fancy
chef that was always all over FoodNetwork. I did a competition once and
they reached out to me like onmy way out and so that they had
(20:25):
taken the leftover cake, my cake, so that their family could eat it
because it was so good. Likethat makes me feel good old, Yes,
And then having your shop now iswhat is something that you do on
the regular that you didn't expect becauseyou've had this dream of the actual bakery
that's outside of the home, andnow you have that, and what's something
(20:47):
maybe that you didn't expect what happenedwith the brick and mortar, you know.
I think it's been a huge learningcurve and it's not always the easiest
thing for me because I just likedto Big Jenny, if I could be
in a kitchen all day, justfocus on making something beautiful, that's really
where my heart is. But thereality of it is is if I want
to create this for across, Ihave to I have to own a business,
(21:10):
which is totally different rules, youknow, like what you're supposed to
do. So I think what Ididn't expect, or maybe I knew it,
but I didn't expect the extremeness ofit is I'm really not in the
kitchen that much. Like I ama filler, so if somebody is sick,
or like I'm the person that putsout fires, or you know,
(21:32):
if there's just a lull with hiring, like you know, a two week
stretch, that a shift is open. But really between that and just managing
people and making menus and doing socialmedia, and that's my job right now.
And I think that sometimes that makesme really sad, but then it
makes me excited too. It's notit's like a double edged store. Does
(21:53):
that make sense? It does?It does because yes, and people don't
understand when you, even if you'rea comic and you're on the road,
you are a business manager and youare doing the marketing and all producing.
And it's not just I'm going togo tell jokes. No, you are
a business now and I totally getthat. That's amazing to me that you
still get to do it all.Maybe you could set up having a vacation
(22:15):
and then come in incognito and justbe the new Baker just particularly not right,
I've come in a bank and theclock out and go. That would
be the dream. And so withyour do you have a favorite wedding cake,
you've done, a theme or adesign? Oh my gosh, I
got so many. You know whatit is? I love when a couple
(22:37):
is so sweet and they're so nice, and you just have this part to
want to make them something beautiful.And it's really rewarding for me when they
want when they want me to becreative, because not everybody wants a ridiculously
artistic cake. Most of them justwant a basic wedding cake. But the
ones that do, I love thatprocess of sketching and working with them and
(22:59):
looking at their wedding design and gettingthe feel you know, and I love
walking into their space when it's theday of their wedding and or other party
and you can see how my littlecake fits the whole room and it all
comes together and it's really it's oneof the best feelings and really it's it.
Yes, that's uh, the icingon the cake of the whole wedding.
(23:23):
Literally, yes, didn't you getto work with But most of my
ninety percent of my clients are amazingand I want to be best friends with
like I want to be best friendswith them, which is kind of inappropriate.
But there's always a couple that I'mlike, oh, I can't wait
for this money to get over,and then that's all. It is normal.
Since my hobby used to have theentertainment business of DJ work, and
(23:44):
it was generally it was the motherof the bride that was hard for that
area. But that was a generalization. Didn't you do a camouflage cake once?
Or am I making that up?Oh? I'm sure it was a
long time. Somebody had an outdoorwedding. They wanted it very redneck,
and you made it like almost toopretty. I feel like it was a
(24:07):
camouflage. But maybe I dreamt it. Jen, I don't know. I
don't know. We do it allI know you do. I think that's
great. Well, this has beenfantastic. But I can't let you go
until you tell me if you havea dare or a prank story, one
you've done or had done to you, or one of those great stories we
all like to tell when we areasked, Yes I do. Maybe you
(24:33):
remember this one. I've got tworeally fast stories. That's good. Do
you remember when you invited me toyour comedy troupe and you did? And
I mean I think I knew thatmaybe you had plans for it, but
I walked in pretty much clueless.And then I was in all of your
skits. And then he took avideo of it, and then he played
(24:56):
it, and and then I wassitting at a crowd like a month later,
and it was hilarious. By theway. You did so good.
You didn't know you were going tobe in it, Like the show,
we never talked specifics, so Idid my bad like I thought I was
in the handoff desserts and like smile, and then it's like surprise, You're
in all the sketches. It's funny, it's hilarious. That's interesting. I
(25:19):
remember it differently, but that isgood to remember. Maybe that was the
only way to lure you in becauseif I said come and be in the
show, that might have scared you. So no, it was awesome.
It was an honor. It wasa blast. Plus is I think this
whole Food Network journey, like whenI got that first phone call, I
genuinely thought it was a prank phonecall because it was it was somebody saying,
(25:44):
oh, do you want to GoodFood Network? And I'm like,
yeah, some pass You know,my daughter was one month old, so
I was like dead tired and Ianswered the phone call. And there was
definitely a process of trying to figureout like who the person was because I
didn't trust that. But I likethe other story better now that it's that's
(26:06):
so sick. Yes, plus theother story, like I say, we
all ended up with cupcakes, whichwas fantastic, wouldn't it. But but
when you and you know, wasthat like back in when was that first
phone call asking you to be onwould that be back in twenty sixteen or
somewhere back in everything, like,Yeah, twenty seventeen I think was the
first one. Yeah, because prankcalls and you know, the messy calls
(26:30):
that we get now are more prevalent, and back then it wasn't as prevalent.
So that's that's lucky. It workedout that you whatever they said to
make you believe them. I'm gladthat works out. Yes, Oh my
goodness. Well this has been waytoo much fun and now I definitely want
a dessert. So I want tosay that I'm honored to have chatted with
(26:52):
you, Jen Barney, and thenremember we can only be strangers once,
even though we are friends, andI you to stay delightfully weird. Thanks
Lisa, you guys have a wonderfultime. Thank you for having me,
Thanks for being here. Yep,this has been Stranger Connections with Lisa David Olson
I was super naiive, like Ihad no clue what I was doing,
like none, and I can't preparelike as much as I could, And
I really took it seriously. Ihad about a one month lead up to
leaving. The week before I justpracticed and practice and tried to think of
the challenges they would throw out.I think that helped. I think that
made a big difference when the competitiontype came. Stranger Connections is the embodiment
(00:23):
of Lisa David Olsen's perspective of we'reall just friends who just simply haven't met
yet. It's an exploration of theweirdly wonderful side of life and a look
at the single commonality we have witheach other, our differences. Slip off
your shoes, pour a cup ofyour favorite and let's meet this week's barrel
of quirks. Welcome to Stranger Connections, where I celebrate wonderfully weird people and
(00:47):
quirky stories. I'm your curious beastand host, Lisa david Olson, the
practically world famous business humorist and speakerand speaker coach. So invite me to
come to your event and energize yourteam. Well, today I get to
speak with an actual personal friend who'ssuper uber famous. So please welcome to
(01:10):
Stranger Connections, Jen Barney, thankyou so much for being here. Thank
you, Lisa. And I'm notvery famous, but that was a very
sweet intro. Thank you. Areyou kidding me? You won at least
three Food Network Baking Championship titles.How is that not fame? Oh?
I'm just a baker, you know, like, I'm just doing the best
(01:33):
I can. Just a baker.I'm just a mom. I just do
all the things. Yeah. Well, I am really excited to have time
to speak with you. And I'vealways wanted to ask different things. And
I know that you started out asa farm girl in Stoddard, Wisconsin and
kept your Wisconsin roots no matter whereyou went. That seems pretty important to
(01:56):
you. Yeah. Yeah, thehusband I live and Startard now. I
was raised an acre of my grandparents'farmland, and when I was competing,
I just or even when I'm outin public, I really try to be
very intentional about bringing it back toWisconsin and all the beautiful things that we
have here. It's just something thatI really feel strongly about advocating for.
(02:20):
I think that's wonderful and especially insome of your recipe videos where you actually
talk about different products like West bsour cream or things like that. You're
even name dropping. I don't knowif if that's like a NASCAR driver they
get like sponsorships. I wish Ifinished so now you I definitely want to
cover some of the contests that you'vedone and how that works. But now
(02:46):
you've got the Meringue Bakery and Cafein downtown Lacrosse, Wisconsin. I think
that's become quite the hot spot foranybody that wants to ingest gold or things
like that, because I know Ihad cupcakes from there. I had actual
gold on them, maybe a diamondor two. I don't know, right,
just some diamond dust. Yeah.Yeah, we have a downtown location.
(03:07):
We've been there for we're pushing intofive years, which is just phenomenal.
Like I can't even imagine how fasttime went, right, Wow,
people are so fast, I know, And it all started with I mean
I always knew I wanted to havea downtown location, but really the competitions
catapulted that, like into like hyperdrive for sure. Did you ever see
(03:30):
yourself as a competitor that you know, here I am making baked goods,
and didn't you start by baking whenyou were in the coffee shop. You're
working in a coffee shop, ifI remember, Yeah, Bean Juice,
yes love, yeah, yeah,I mean talk about women supporting women.
Teresa at Bean Juice in Lacrosse wasa huge help to me in the beginning,
(03:52):
and she allowed me to sell outof her cafe and even work there
when I couldn't, you know,when I was transitioning and it started my
own business and I couldn't go intoa full time I worked as a barista
there. Yes, so I definitelystarted off small. And we I mean,
if you were to ask me,like, like, what was your
dream before the before the show's hit, Like right before the show's hit,
(04:15):
we had I'm actually sitting in itright now. This is my studio bakery
at my house. And we tookabout half of our basement and turned it
into a full industrial kitchen. AndI thought, okay, like I'll do
you know, one or two weddingsa week, and I'll raise some kids.
And that was my that was mydream. And then maybe eventually when
the kids were older, I couldevolve into a downtown space. And then
(04:39):
I just this It just hit random, and I don't. I don't.
If you had asked if if Iever wanted to compete, yes, like
in a dream maybe, but itwas never something that I set out to
do, and everything just kind offell into my lap supernaturally, it didn't.
I do think the one thing thatmaybe set us apart or like,
was the seed of me competing myhusband and he's a good guy. He
(05:01):
learned photography for my business, andso we were always very intentional about taking
really good images of our work becauseit's a visual medium. And that was
just the seed, like we hadwe put it out there into the universe,
into the web, and somebody sawit. That was a scout and
then it just and then I've donefive shows in total, which is actually
(05:21):
six technically six And if you andit's it all started. Everything kind of
just fell into my lap, likeI didn't seek any of that out and
it all started from good imaging.Isn't that crazy? It makes sense because
I too have a photographer videographer hobby, and I do know it makes a
difference. And how wonderful that yourhobby knew. Okay, we're investing in
(05:46):
this, this is what matters.Yes, yep. And so when you
get to a contest, where wasyour first one? Where did you travel
to New or Leans? And youwouldn't think that, and you think that
sort of things done can California,But they it was and you would drive
past it and you would never knowthat it was a TV studio. It's
in this industrial We have a visitor, what a honeybunny? Your your dogs?
(06:11):
A cat? Yeah, lunch wantsand she wants to be still in
my spotlight. I was such abread right, Yeah, So I went
to New Orleans. The first showthat I did was called Holiday Baking Championship
and Work. I mean, atthis point, this is like seven years
ago or something, and it wasa series that I didn't I honestly because
(06:32):
I'm I like Food Network. Imean, obviously Food Network has brought me
a lot in my life, andI'm so grateful, I think just in
my career because I'm around food allday. Like, I don't crave watching
Food Network at night because I getthat ten hours a day, and so
I don't really I never really watchedthose shows, and for me, I
(06:55):
didn't understand the scope of the showthat I signed up for in the beginning
and I like I've later found outlater that it's definitely one of their most
popular shows and at the holiday season, it's like the most popular show that
WHO Network puts on. So Iwas super naive, like I had no
clue what I was doing, likenone, and I and I and I
came prepared like as much as Icould, and I really took it seriously.
(07:19):
I had about a one month leadup to leaving, and I really
I mean I cleared my schedule theweek before. I sat in this this
whole this room, and I justpracticed and practice and tried to think of
the challenges they would throw us andand you know what, and not that
everything didn't hit like I thought itwas mine too, But I think that
(07:43):
helped. I think that made abig difference when the competition time came,
because I had some ideas or Ihad stories in the back of my in
my back pocket, like with likeusing cranberries or trying to incorporate cows,
like as much as I could,or like these types of things like my
heritage bringing it to the screen.That was my goal. I don't think
other people do that as much.And I do enjoy cooking shows because I
(08:05):
barely ever cook, so I certainlyenjoy ordering food. But I think that
what you did made sense because youdon't often see I mean, some of
the shows go background on people,but you don't often hear them say this
isn't ale because I grew up ina pub or something like that. So
I think what you did is brilliant. And we do want to know behind
(08:28):
the scenes, and we do wantto know the person, not just what
they're making. So I think that'sreally great. So you think that week
in intensive week, which was sosmart to tell, I think they gave
me a huge leg up. Wonderful. So that's what you would tell somebody
should they be facing something that Okay, it's like I help people get a
ted X. Yes, you don'tknow what to expect, so do all
(08:50):
the things. Yes, a thousandpercent. And even since then, I
have had people come to me andask for like their advice or you know,
and I feel like, yeah,when you're in competition mode, like
you have to be. I'm solucky because I have a huge support system.
(09:11):
And I think that's part of ittoo, because I know leading up
to a show that my husband willsupport me no matter what in it I've
done competitions with women that I've literallybeen in rooms with women that are on
their phones with their husbands, andtheir husbands are like, why would you
called me today? And and I'mlike, she was on she was competing
all day, Like you think she'sgonna stop all you when she's on camera,
(09:35):
Like what do you think happens?So I feel like I because of
my husband and like his and hisfamily and my family, like I can
leave and focus and I can dothose things. And I'm so lucky that
I can do that. Right,it does take the whole family, and
you can tell who has that supportand who doesn't. I think that's great.
(09:56):
Yeah, and so that was youryour first one and you actually that
New Orleans? Is that the firstone that you won? That was the
first one. Yes. And thenthe next year they called me back the
same show and they were doing likea little blitz one episode appians and so
they paired. It was a funepisode and they carried us up. It
(10:18):
was even just for me to beable to meet other winners too. I
mean I still contact these people occasionallyjust to get their advice and just to
make those connections. But yet inthat show, I won too, So
that mean that was that was probablyof my favorite win because I felt like,
even though it was only one episode, I felt like like it was
(10:41):
like the cream of the crop,you know. That felt that one felt
really good and and I felt eventhat day, I felt cute, you
know, like you wake up andthen it's just like I just outside on
a good hair day. Everything wasjust and I felt like I had nothing
to prove, you know, likeI just came in like I'm gonna have
a good time, and that wasa beautiful day. I really enjoyed that
(11:01):
one and then I got home.The next year, Food Network Canada has
a show called the Big Big Cake, Big Shoot. I forgot. I've
got it like three times and Iforget the name of it Big something Big
Cakes, and it was a holidaythemed one. I brought. This was
(11:24):
this competition was different to me becauseI could bring a team with me.
So I brought an old pastry cheffriend and Jessica, who still is at
Marine Bakery. She's been with mefor a long time and she's been a
huge asset to the bakery, butshe came with me and it's a first
show that I had ever done we'remaking huge kicks, like they want five
(11:45):
tiers, they want they want mechanicalaspects, they want smoke and ears and
movement, and you know, theywant they want everything. And I didn't
love that show and it's not it'sjust not my I think I learned it's
not where my my strong suitus.So we absolutely took last place in that
one, Like there was no question. I think I just approached it really
(12:07):
wrong. When you have a bigcake show, you can't focus on details.
You got to go like focus onbig things. And I definitely did
all the wrong things that you're notsupposed to do, but I didn't know
any better. And then yeah,and then I'll just keep going. I'll
go I'll wrap up my experience andcompetition really fast. And then Jessica and
I in the same year, wewent to Milwaukee and this was not televised,
(12:30):
but we did a two day livecompetition and that was a blast,
and we had to create three differentshow piece cakes and we were competing against
other Wisconsin bakers and we won that, and then winning that was the ticket
to go to Vegas. So wegot to go to Vegas and compete in
a live competition that it was asimilar format. It was two days long.
(12:52):
We got to make like beautiful cakesunder certain themes and then they were
raided. And then it's all aboutthe connections you make, right, So,
like you meet people along the way. So we met a couple there
that were from Canada, and thenthey asked me to compete with them the
following year, so I went backbat It's called The Big Bake. That's
(13:13):
what that show is called. SoI went back to The Big Bake.
We definitely took second place, SoI'm getting better, you know, like
we're getting We're getting better. Andthen we I met and then I met
another person there who led me tothe next show. So it's just it's
all connected, right. And andthe last show that I competed with was
(13:35):
called Holliday Wars on Food Network.That was another series show, and this
one was Big Cakes as well,which, like I said, necessarily is
my favorite type of thing to do. Obviously I love doing cakes. I
just think that the mechanical part withthat is like a whole different mind that
I don't know if I I'm gladmy husband has that mind because I don't
(13:56):
have that mine. You could justfrost a music box and call it good,
right, right, that's like thateasy. But luckily I got through
that show. We won, andthen we took another challenge. So the
sixth show that I was on waswhere they took the winner of Halloween Wars
(14:16):
and pinned them against Holiday Wars,and we did a New Year's Eve special
and I was incredibly happy with ourresults. But those Hollowdew people are insane,
like the that's the next level,and everybody wants to get on that
show because it's really that's the funnestone to do. And they had a
sugar artist who was making like likesugar cups that you could actually drink out
(14:37):
of, and I couldn't touch thatwith what I had in my skill set.
So they won. They deserved it. And yeah, and then that's
that's my story of competing and allthe shows I've done. But it sounds
almost like getting into science. You'regetting away from bakery and you're getting into
construction, and then you're getting intoscience because drinking out of sugar doesn't make
(14:58):
sense scientifically. Somebody's doing something,but I mean they're probably using a three
D printer but putting in ingredients.Yes, So I at all. Do
you know what, Lisa, that'swhat the market demands right now, and
I'm not I love it. Somy husband's very technically minded and he we
have a three D printer, wehave a laser print, we have a
(15:18):
laser machine. I don't know whatyou call it, but he can.
He prints me things almost on aweekly basis for the bakery, and it's
like custom. Last week he mademe a custom cow cookie cutter that he's
three D printed. So there's allthese things he's sing senholes, custom sensils
or he's always but that's I feellike, if you want to stay ahead
of all with all the Instagram trends, like you have to have those things
(15:41):
at your at your disposal. True. And if if he's like my hobby,
I can tell he's probably the sameas this is great to help you
out, but I wouldn't want tobe doing this full time. It's fun
and I get one and now that'sgreat, Like Tadd will work with wood
and he's like, there, Imade that. That's nice. Oh would
you you ever want to make abunch and sell them? No? Actually
(16:02):
no, I did the one andit was nice, Yes, absolutely,
yes, different than us wanting tokeep doing it. But again, you
wouldn't want to make the same cake. Now when you did the contest,
did everybody get a prize or isit only the first place person? Only
the first place? Why? Right? So really, if you don't win,
(16:22):
you're at a financial loss. It'snot like you know, because you're
giving up time away and that's allexpensive, and that's you know, I
really wish at some point, Iwish that competition shows would maybe reimburse a
living wage while you're filming, youknow, I feel like that's a fair
thing to ask. But maybe somedaywe'll get there. Right. That's a
(16:45):
lot of times, like like inspeaking, you're paying to get there and
then you get You might get paidto speak, you might not. It
just depends on the gig. Butyeah, and then ends up costing you
away from work in the milete Sothat is tough, but at least it's
opening up a little bit more sothen the time and you didn't win first
place, did you end up payingfor travel? They pay for travel,
(17:07):
and they do take very good careof you, like it's their job.
They've got people there that are likewranglers that make making sure you're eating,
like it's not like it's like Idon't want to give that impression at all,
right, but if you but genuinely, if you don't win like I've
had, I've competed with people thathave had have lost their jobs because like
their employer wouldn't give them time off, but this has been their dream,
(17:29):
So like what are you supposed todo? So I've worked with multiple people
that have because they want to doa competition. And then and then you
have to be able to financially supportyourself if you're you know, how many
people can take off work for aweek and that's okay, you know,
like that's not real life for alot of people, and so those types
of that's just just real you know. Oh wow, that's a lot to
(17:49):
think about it. And that goesto show the driving force that you were
against and and will be again.Because it sounds like you get invited a
lot, and you also were featured. Your story was featured in one of
Amanda Zeba's books. Right, Yeah, it's not so cool, it's not
the best. A man is amazingjust in general, you've never read any
(18:11):
of her books, just a localauthor in Lacrosse, and she it's loose,
very loosely inspired. So she hada cookbook or I'm sorry, huh,
that's my world. She has abook that it was about a chocolate
tear from the luth who fell inlove and through caution to the wind and
(18:33):
opened up a chocolate shop in superiorsomewhere. And she so at the same
time I think that book was finishingup, I was starting my first competition
and it inspired her to continue thatstory where the female the woman goes in
the second book she competes. Soyeah, and there isn't that, but
it is cool that it's a verynice series. Yes, yes, yeah,
(18:56):
I love that because I remember heropening her book lunch and you were
there and it was like, aha, this is all together, Okay,
I get this now. That isfantastic. And I think it's so fun
when the food that you make atthe shows what happens to it. I
(19:17):
think people can offend it when Isay, if it's discarded, but you
don't want to eat that food,like it's good, mean, it's good
food, but it's also prepared bypeople who are in a hurry and like
they're maybe not like washing their handsentirely, like for sixty seconds or thirty
seconds that you're singing there And yes, and I think because when you're in
(19:37):
these types of challenges, it's justnot practical. It's just and I don't
let that's sad to say, butI feel like, of all the food
waste in all the world, likelike that's the one it's okay to let
go. So then when they're judgingthe taste, then they must be giving
allowance. Yes, of course thejudges try it, they eat it,
(20:02):
but then the food it goes intoa dumpster. Oh, I bet there's
a lot of people backstage getting gettingit out of the dumpster. Though.
Yeah, I'm sure that they'd takesome home. I have heard of like
I was. It was actually ahuge honor one of like a really fancy
chef that was always all over FoodNetwork. I did a competition once and
they reached out to me like onmy way out and so that they had
(20:25):
taken the leftover cake, my cake, so that their family could eat it
because it was so good. Likethat makes me feel good old, Yes,
And then having your shop now iswhat is something that you do on
the regular that you didn't expect becauseyou've had this dream of the actual bakery
that's outside of the home, andnow you have that, and what's something
(20:47):
maybe that you didn't expect what happenedwith the brick and mortar, you know.
I think it's been a huge learningcurve and it's not always the easiest
thing for me because I just likedto Big Jenny, if I could be
in a kitchen all day, justfocus on making something beautiful, that's really
where my heart is. But thereality of it is is if I want
to create this for across, Ihave to I have to own a business,
(21:10):
which is totally different rules, youknow, like what you're supposed to
do. So I think what Ididn't expect, or maybe I knew it,
but I didn't expect the extremeness ofit is I'm really not in the
kitchen that much. Like I ama filler, so if somebody is sick,
or like I'm the person that putsout fires, or you know,
(21:32):
if there's just a lull with hiring, like you know, a two week
stretch, that a shift is open. But really between that and just managing
people and making menus and doing socialmedia, and that's my job right now.
And I think that sometimes that makesme really sad, but then it
makes me excited too. It's notit's like a double edged store. Does
(21:53):
that make sense? It does?It does because yes, and people don't
understand when you, even if you'rea comic and you're on the road,
you are a business manager and youare doing the marketing and all producing.
And it's not just I'm going togo tell jokes. No, you are
a business now and I totally getthat. That's amazing to me that you
still get to do it all.Maybe you could set up having a vacation
(22:15):
and then come in incognito and justbe the new Baker just particularly not right,
I've come in a bank and theclock out and go. That would
be the dream. And so withyour do you have a favorite wedding cake,
you've done, a theme or adesign? Oh my gosh, I
got so many. You know whatit is? I love when a couple
(22:37):
is so sweet and they're so nice, and you just have this part to
want to make them something beautiful.And it's really rewarding for me when they
want when they want me to becreative, because not everybody wants a ridiculously
artistic cake. Most of them justwant a basic wedding cake. But the
ones that do, I love thatprocess of sketching and working with them and
(22:59):
looking at their wedding design and gettingthe feel you know, and I love
walking into their space when it's theday of their wedding and or other party
and you can see how my littlecake fits the whole room and it all
comes together and it's really it's oneof the best feelings and really it's it.
Yes, that's uh, the icingon the cake of the whole wedding.
(23:23):
Literally, yes, didn't you getto work with But most of my
ninety percent of my clients are amazingand I want to be best friends with
like I want to be best friendswith them, which is kind of inappropriate.
But there's always a couple that I'mlike, oh, I can't wait
for this money to get over,and then that's all. It is normal.
Since my hobby used to have theentertainment business of DJ work, and
(23:44):
it was generally it was the motherof the bride that was hard for that
area. But that was a generalization. Didn't you do a camouflage cake once?
Or am I making that up?Oh? I'm sure it was a
long time. Somebody had an outdoorwedding. They wanted it very redneck,
and you made it like almost toopretty. I feel like it was a
(24:07):
camouflage. But maybe I dreamt it. Jen, I don't know. I
don't know. We do it allI know you do. I think that's
great. Well, this has beenfantastic. But I can't let you go
until you tell me if you havea dare or a prank story, one
you've done or had done to you, or one of those great stories we
all like to tell when we areasked, Yes I do. Maybe you
(24:33):
remember this one. I've got tworeally fast stories. That's good. Do
you remember when you invited me toyour comedy troupe and you did? And
I mean I think I knew thatmaybe you had plans for it, but
I walked in pretty much clueless.And then I was in all of your
skits. And then he took avideo of it, and then he played
(24:56):
it, and and then I wassitting at a crowd like a month later,
and it was hilarious. By theway. You did so good.
You didn't know you were going tobe in it, Like the show,
we never talked specifics, so Idid my bad like I thought I was
in the handoff desserts and like smile, and then it's like surprise, You're
in all the sketches. It's funny, it's hilarious. That's interesting. I
(25:19):
remember it differently, but that isgood to remember. Maybe that was the
only way to lure you in becauseif I said come and be in the
show, that might have scared you. So no, it was awesome.
It was an honor. It wasa blast. Plus is I think this
whole Food Network journey, like whenI got that first phone call, I
genuinely thought it was a prank phonecall because it was it was somebody saying,
(25:44):
oh, do you want to GoodFood Network? And I'm like,
yeah, some pass You know,my daughter was one month old, so
I was like dead tired and Ianswered the phone call. And there was
definitely a process of trying to figureout like who the person was because I
didn't trust that. But I likethe other story better now that it's that's
(26:06):
so sick. Yes, plus theother story, like I say, we
all ended up with cupcakes, whichwas fantastic, wouldn't it. But but
when you and you know, wasthat like back in when was that first
phone call asking you to be onwould that be back in twenty sixteen or
somewhere back in everything, like,Yeah, twenty seventeen I think was the
first one. Yeah, because prankcalls and you know, the messy calls
(26:30):
that we get now are more prevalent, and back then it wasn't as prevalent.
So that's that's lucky. It workedout that you whatever they said to
make you believe them. I'm gladthat works out. Yes, Oh my
goodness. Well this has been waytoo much fun and now I definitely want
a dessert. So I want tosay that I'm honored to have chatted with
(26:52):
you, Jen Barney, and thenremember we can only be strangers once,
even though we are friends, andI you to stay delightfully weird. Thanks
Lisa, you guys have a wonderfultime. Thank you for having me,
Thanks for being here. Yep,this has been Stranger Connections with Lisa David Olson
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