Tarek Husseini, a Ladue Horton Watkins High School graduate and finalist on Food Network’s Kids Baking Championship, will compete in the 12th season of the Holiday Baking Championship, premiering next Monday, November 3, at 7 p.m.
The Background
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Husseini first discovered his passion for baking around the age of 9, just after his family’s move to Saudi Arabia. The arid climate of his new home forced Husseini inside, where he turned to baking as a hobby. “I just kept up with it and never stopped,” Husseini says.
By age 13, he’d built enough skills to apply for Food Network’s Kids Baking Championship, where he came in second place. The experience only furthered his love for baking and opened doors to develop his skill. “I got the opportunity to teach cooking classes at Kitchen Conservatory,” he says, in addition to meeting chefs through various events.
Now a sophomore at Yale, Husseini is the president of Y-Pop Up, a student-run restaurant. Baking there has given him the freedom to experiment, and the rave reviews for his dishes gave him the confidence to apply for the Holiday Baking Championship.
The Show
Husseini was the youngest contestant on this season of the Holiday Baking Championship—and the only one who hadn’t attended culinary school or worked in a restaurant. “There were people there who had been baking for longer than I’ve been alive,” Husseini says. “I was definitely intimidated by that, but once I got into the groove of it, I felt like I knew what I was doing.”
This season introduced a new format: Contestants were split into “naughty” and “nice” teams that competed against each other. Husseini was put on the naughty team, which he said was “the place to be.”
Filmed during the summer in Los Angeles, the Holiday Baking Championship required some imagination from the contestants. “It was strange to be wearing sweaters in the kitchen while outside it was 80 degrees,” Husseini says with a laugh. Still, he and the other contestants managed to embrace the festive mood.
While Husseini can’t reveal how far he made it in the competition, he was proud of his performance and excited for the show’s premiere.
The Future
With two Food Network appearances before age 20, Husseini is already thinking about where his baking journey might take him. For now, he is focused on his studies and doesn’t see himself working in a restaurant. At the same time, however, he wants to stay involved with food.
“It would be a shame to abandon that passion,” he says.
