Local Baker Competes On Food Network

Ronkonkoma, NY — A local baker will hit the big screen for foodies when she competes on The Food Network's new baking competition show Girl Scout Cookie Championship. Taylor Kyriacou grew up in Ronkonkoma and moved back after college to open a web-based bakery called Specialty Sweets. She filmed an episode for the Food Network show in September and it will air Monday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m.

Kyriacou tells Patch how she ended up on the show and what it was like.

After attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, she moved back home to Long Island to start her own baking business. Her career started and took off with social media: she started baking since 2011 after being inspired by decorated cookies on Pinterest.

"When I went home for Christmas break that year I tried making them and they were a hit. Before I knew it, I had friends and family asking me to make cookies for all of their events. Throughout college I would go home on the weekends and make my cookies as a side business, when I graduated in 2015 I decided to try and make it work full time. "

Kyriacou specializes in fun cakes and elaborately decorated cookies, and her Instagram account caught the attention of the casting company for Food Network.

"The experience was amazing and unlike anything I've done before. It was so crazy to see everything that goes into making an hour long show, multiple days of shooting with producers and crew members working insanely long hours. As the cast we were there from about 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the crew was there before us and left after us. My favorite part of the entire experience was the friends I made, all of us from the cast are still in a group chat and talk all the time," she said.

The competition show centers around Girl Scout cookies and contestants have to use them as the main ingredient for cakes and other desserts. Kyriacou said she enjoyed working with the cookies not only because they are delicious but because of what they symbolize.

"I personally love Girl Scout Cookies because it teaches young girls to be entrepreneurs. They go out and hustle to sell as many cookies as they can and they learn that if they put in the work they can do anything they set their mind to! It's important to teach young girls that they can be business owners and CEOs."

The high-pressure environment of the show didn't phase the 26-year-old.

"I think I'm pretty creative so it was less difficult to think of ideas on the spot and more difficult to choose one and stick with it! You're being timed so once I made a decision I had to run with it."