Westchester resident competes on Food Network’s Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking

In his job as general manager and senior cake designer at Lulu Cake Boutique in Scarsdale, 28-year-old Andy Ortega has created his share of Harry Potter cakes. So when he heard the Food Network was looking for contestants for the second season of “Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking,” he figured he’d go all Hogwarts and try out.

“I’ve always had fun creating those kinds of cakes at work so I figured I could do them for the show,” he said.

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Luckily his talents proved him right. The Westchester resident is one of 16 contestants on the show, which airs Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. (and streams the next day on HBO Max and Discovery+). This year, according to a Food Network press release, the new season features even more spellbinding creations, enchanted elements and baking wizardry as a new field of competitors embark on an experience that capitalizes on the enduring love for Harry Potter.

The Yonkers native, along with his fellow contestants, many of which hail from all over the globe, start their journey in The Great Hall where — just like the movie —they’re sorted into one of the four Hogwarts houses of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.

Their first challenge? To craft captivating, edible showpieces inspired by moments from the series as they relate to each team’s respective house. Paired with Stefan Rose of the United Kingdom, the two had to compete against others in designing creations that not only tasted good, but were creative and visual spectacles.

The series is hosted by James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley) who bring their charm, humor and behind-the-scenes anecdotes, along with culinary judges Carla Hall and Jozef Youssef. Across the six-episode season, special guests Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick), Afshan Azad (Padma Patil) and Devon Murray (Seamus Finnigan) help evaluate the competitors’ showpieces as they share their own stories from the films.

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For Ortega, who grew up watching the Harry Potter movies, it was an incredible experience, especially walking onto the set of the Great Hall, where the movies were filmed, was well as meeting the real-life Weasley’s and other actors.

“Waking into the Great Hall was definitely surreal,” he said. “It was almost like I got placed into the movie.”

The scenery helped spur his imagination as never, in his wildest dreams, did he ever think, when he was a kid watching the Harry Potter movies with his aunt in Yonkers, that years down the road, he’d be at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden among some of the original sets. Famed locations for the show include Platform 9¾, The Great Hall, and Diagon Alley, as well as The Potions Room, Privet Drive, the Destroyed Gringotts Bank and the triple-decker Knight Bus.

A longtime baker — the Culinary Institute of America grad started when he was 11 — he said his passion for pastry was sparked by the shows he watched growing up. So being on TV has been a full-circle moment.

It’s also not his first time. Last year he was on two episodes — and won — of Hulu’s “Cookie, Cupcake, Cake,” which featured celebrity bakers Buddy Valastro, best known for his run on the reality series “Cake Boss,” and cookbook author/TV personality Samantha Seneviratne.

Ortega, who’s all about combining traditional skills with bold creativity as well as infusing nostalgic influences, the competition was both a learning experience as well as a challenge. It also pushed him artistically as he learned from his teammate, a pastry chef in Yorkshire.

“It was really cool to put both of our different skills and knowledge together,” said Ortega. “It was also rewarding to see how much our personalities meshed.

“I came away with a whole new friend group and an appreciation for how far apart you can be in miles and still have so much in common.”

First, though, he had to compete against them and see who got eliminated. Along with him and Rose, teams includedAlex Madrigal (Playa Del Carmen, Mexico) and Jenny Chambers (Salisbury, UK); Angel Figueroa (Denver, CO) and Rui Mota (Lisbon, Portugal); Caitlin Taylor(Bowie, MD) and Jaleesa Mason (Bloomfield, NJ); Heather Tocco(Rochester, MI) and Kate Sigel(Nashville, TN);Marj Santaromana (Richmond, VA) and Sarah Arnold (Charleston, SC); Molly Robbins (Lancashire, UK) and Priya Winsor (St. Albert, Alberta, Canada); andJujhar Mann(Surrey, BC, Canada) and Katie Bonzer (Orlando, FL).

In the grand finale, teams make a showpiece that celebrates the “Goblet of Fire” in a nod to the 20th anniversary of the fourth film before winning a trophy and being crowned the Wizards of Baking. Despite knowing the ending, Ortega can’t reveal too much.

Nor can he say whether he came away with a sorthing hat, a robe or a wand. “You’re going to have to watch to find out,” he said.

What he did disclose, however, was that the experience, for which he spent a month in London this past June, was beyond rewarding and made him a better baker. “This opportunity helped me find new ways to express my talents and really pushed and inspired me,” he said.

“It’s just one more reason I love what I do.”

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Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Westchester NY baker competes on Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking show