By Stephanie Pacheco (née Urlando), Owner of Little Rose Cookie Co.
As a baker, I love a good competition show—except when I’m watching them. If I’m being honest, baking shows stress me out. I can’t help but put myself in the contestants’ shoes, mentally racing through every challenge, panicking about whether I’d have enough time to finish, and whisper-yelling at the screen when someone makes a risky move. So, naturally, when I got the call to be on Food Network’s Christmas Cookie Challenge, putting my custom sugar cookie skills to the test, I had a very important decision to make: would I put myself through the same stress I’d spent years yelling at my TV about?
The answer? Absolutely.
Getting the Call
It was May 2023, and I was already juggling a lot. I was deep in wedding planning mode for my October wedding, all while running Little Rose Cookie Co. and raising a 6 year old and a 5 year old. But when I got the call inviting me to compete on Food Network’s Christmas Cookie Challenge, I knew I couldn’t say no. This was an opportunity of a lifetime.
Fast forward to June, and I was on a plane to California—a place I’d never been before! I arrived on a Monday, filmed the competition on Wednesday, and flew back home to Canada on Friday. It was a whirlwind trip, but in between all the baking chaos, I managed to experience some incredible firsts.
Like my first real-life cactus sighting. And not just any cactus—a prickly pear cactus, which made it even more exciting because prickly pears are one of my absolute favourite fruits. I thought that little cactus was the coolest thing at that moment, because I had never seen one in real life and I thought it was beautiful! I told my show mates that seeing palm trees up close made my heart happy, too.
The Baking, The Bonds, and The Lucky Scrunchie
One of the best parts of this whole experience? The friendships I made with my fellow bakers. The competition was tough, but behind the scenes, we were just a group of people who loved cookies and wanted each other to succeed.
- Ehsan (Ehsan’s Patisserie) – Ehsan is the kind of person whose happiness is contagious–his big smile says it all! His attention to detail in his desserts are incredible, and we had some amazing conversations about our dreams for family and the future.
- Susie (Susie’s Sweet Shoppe) – Dubbed the ultimate “cookie mama” of our group! She was so generous, bringing treats for the crew and making everyone feel warm and loved. She lit up every room she walked into.
- Alayna (The Cookie Corner NV) – Alayna’s kindness was unmatched. She loves her family so much, and that warmth radiated from her in every interaction. She also gave me a bow scrunchie for my ponytail, which we called the lucky scrunchie. I still have it to this day!
Beyond the baking, we got to explore Griffith Observatory and Universal CityWalk together. Even though we were competing, it never felt like a rivalry—it felt like a shared adventure.
Stepping on to the Set
Walking onto the set was surreal. The decorations were next-level festive, and the kitchen was every baker’s dream. Mixers, tools, basic and niche ingredients—everything you could ever want or need. Everything was so grand. But the most surreal part? Seeing Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson standing there, ready to judge our cookies. They were both so charming, witty and kind. I was star struck.
My episode was Season 7, Episode 7 (sometimes listed as Episode 4), and the theme was the 20th anniversary of the movie “Elf”. Buddy the Elf is iconic, so I was pumped to bring his story to life through cookies.
The Challenges:
- Buddy’s Journey – Our first challenge was to create cookies that showcased Buddy the Elf’s journey from the North Pole to New York City. I chose to highlight his magical path through the peppermint pixie patch and around the cotton candy castle.
- 3D Pop-Up Cookie Book – In the second challenge, we had to bake a fully edible pop-up book featuring a scene from Elf. I recreated the moment when Buddy takes Jovie on a date, complete with different elements from their adventure together.
The Chaotic First Round
The first round was a whirlwind of activity. I faced challenges like broken royal icing transfers and under the pressure of very real time constraints, I was adding details at the last minute. At one point, I was running around panicking, thinking I wasn’t going to get this challenge done. I genuinely thought I might be going home after that round.
Unexpected Round One Victory and a Helpful “Elf”
To my surprise, I won the first round, earning the advantage of a personal shopper for the next challenge. A man dressed as an Elf assisted me by gathering ingredients, which saved me a lot of time because I struggled in the first round with grabbing my ingredients in time. This allowed me to focus more on the creative aspects of the second challenge.
The Moment of Victory
When my name was announced as the winner, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. I couldn’t believe it. My heart was full just from being on the show, but winning? That was beyond anything I had imagined.
The first thing I thought of? My daughters. The idea that one day, they’d be able to say, “My mom won a cookie competition on TV,” was unreal.
Winning meant $10,000, which I put right back into growing my business and setting aside for my kids’ future. I also won a special “Elf” movie prize pack, which was the cherry on top. I ended up splitting the prize pack box into four boxes, and sent three of them out to my fellow competitors to share the Elf joy. But the biggest win? The experience itself.
What It Meant for My Business
The show aired on November 23, 2023, and keeping the secret for so long was torture! But when the episode finally came out, the response was incredible. We had a viewing party where I handed out samples of the cookies I made on the show, so attendees could try the flavours in real-time with the judges, and we all cheered and celebrated my win as the show aired! Shortly after, customers flooded into the shop, and we received more Christmas orders than ever before! It was the busiest holiday season we’d had yet.
Even beyond sales, the experience gave Little Rose Cookie Co. national exposure. It was a reminder of how far we’ve come and how much this little cookie shop means to our community.
Final Thoughts
Competing on Christmas Cookie Challenge was one of the most exciting, nerve-wracking, and rewarding experiences of my life. It pushed me outside my comfort zone, introduced me to lifelong friends, and gave me memories that I’ll cherish forever.
And to think, just a few months before, I was wedding planning, raising my girls, running my business, and stressing out over baking competitions on TV. Turns out, sometimes stepping into the stress is worth it.
Would I do it again? Absolutely!
