Des Moines pastry master competes for $100K Netflix prize

Des Moines businessperson Eileen Gannon competes alongside nine other award-winning pastry chefs in Netflix's new " Blue Ribbon Baking Championship ."

Dig in: The show pits state fair blue ribbon-winning pastry chefs against each other for the chance $100,000.

• It's hosted by chef Sandra Lee and "American Pie" star Jason Biggs.

Zoom in: Gannon started Sunday Night Foods , a luxury dessert sauce maker, about three years ago after retiring as a communications executive at Workiva, a computer software company.

• She's also a longtime baker, winning more than 600 competitions — mostly at the Iowa State Fair, she tells Axios.

The latest: Fairgoers can meet Gannon during multiple cooking demonstrations and sample pop-ups at this year's fair.

Best bites: One of the show's challenges required contestants to make a dessert that previously won them a blue ribbon and give it a twist, Gannon told dsm Magazine .

• She transformed her winning banana cream pie into a layered cake with crumbled graham crackers, pastry cream, fresh fruit and whipped cream.

What they're saying: Behind the scenes, competitors pitched in to help each other get to the next level, Lee tells Axios.

• "I learned a lot about human nature on this show," the show host says.

The bottom line: "You're only as good as your last bake," Gannon says.

What's next: All eight episodes air today, and she will soon publish the recipes she used on her business website, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

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