11 year-old Ann Arbor native, Jane Haviland, puts her baking skills to the test in the upcoming season of Kids Baking Championship on Food Network.

This upcoming season of Kids Baking Championship debuts on Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. on Food Network and features some of the most creative and original young bakers in the country. 10 kid contestants will compete in challenges that will force them to bake delectable desserts including pies, eclairs, macarons and more. Only one kid will win the Kids Baking Championship and take home $25,000.

One of those kids competing for the championship is Ann Arbor’s own Jane Haviland. Haviland is 11 years old and has had a passion for cooking for a very long time. 

“When I was younger I loved to bake with my mom and my grandma in the kitchen,” Haviland said. “A few years ago I started to become more serious because I could take things in and out of the oven by myself so I became a lot more independent.”

Haviland described her style as simple, but she does like to slightly change recipes to give it her own flair. One of her favorite things to bake is a German roll cake because it is fun to make and easy for her to add her own style. This might have helped her get on this season’s Kids Baking Championships because the competition focuses on different deserts and pastries.

“I don’t like to go overboard or crazy, I just like to keep things but pretty and well done,” Haviland said.

Haviland found out about the show after watching some episodes and begged her mom to let her audition for the upcoming season. After a long audition process that included essays, pictures, and videos of her skills, she was ecstatic to find out that she made it on the show.

“I was at camp and [my parents] picked me up and when they told me, I was so shocked and so happy, I screamed,” Haviland said. “[My friends and family] were all really excited for me because we didn’t know if I was going to make it, especially since it was a really long audition process and there were a bunch of steps in it.”

Haviland described being on set and baking in front of cameras for a television show as amazing surreal. Some of the challenges and time limits made the competition stressful, Haviland said, but she added that it was exciting for her to see other kids her age with so much talent and that everyone gave her great tips that will be helpful in her future baking endeavors.

“It was a really amazing experience. Everyone was really nice and helpful, I’m so glad I got to experience it,” Haviland said.

The eight-episode season airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. on Food Network.