OLDS — École Olds High school art and cosmetology teacher Renu Mathew had quite a run on season 1 of the Food Network’s Great Chocolate Showdown.
Mathew made it to the finale, broadcast March 24.
However, she and T Lawrence-Simon, a circus performer from Massachusetts, lost out to Casey Hallen, a teacher from New York City, who walked away with the $50,000 grand prize.
The show was filmed in Toronto last summer and the first of the weekly episodes was broadcast on Feb. 4.
During the showdown’s eight episodes, Mathew went through lots of ups and downs, but she says she enjoyed it all.
“I really gained a lot of skills with chocolate and practise with chocolate,” she said during an interview.
“We had access to some amazing people that kind of shed light on different techniques and best practices to improve our skills. So it was really a great experience that way.”
In the finale, the three finalists had to each make a variety of confections to fill their dream bake shop window.
Mathew’s submission included a sculpture featuring giant balls of chocolate with whimsical, curved white arms to hold them in place.
Hallen’s winning efforts included a white palette with a big paintbrush – lots of colour throughout.
“She did a great job with her palette,” Mathew said. “It was appealing and fun. So yeah, good job for her. Lucky her.”
Mathew is philosophical about where she finished in the finale.
“You never know; you never know what’s going to happen. But it was pretty fun to the end and I was proud of my creation, so I was happy with that,” she said.
Mathew was thrilled with the support she received in person and via Facebook and Instagram.
“I’ve had many comments and lots of support from the community, which is always lovely,” she said.
Back when the first episode aired on Feb. 4, Mathew hosted a special viewing in the TransCanada Theatre. She enjoyed the opportunity to visit with friends and fans.
“It really just carried on the same online, so there were lots of people watching and posting and messaging me live while they were watching the show, which was really nice,” she said.
Mathew’s favourite memory of the Great Chocolate Showdown was the finale and the excitement it generated.
“Making that chocolate sculpture was the highlight of my experience,” she said.
In the finale, each finalist worked with one of the show’s 10 original contestants. Mathew worked with Vanessa Liang, an oncology pharmacist from Saskatoon.
“Vanessa’s an amazing baker and she’s very efficient, so she definitely made the finale smooth,” Mathew said.
Mathew would be open to participating in the Great Chocolate Showdown or something like it again if that opportunity comes up.
But she’s not sure when – or if – that will happen, especially given the need for social and physical distancing during the current COVID-19 virus outbreak.
“We’ll see what happens in the future,” she said.
