Lansing couple competes on Food Network's 'Winner Cake All'

LANSING — Inspired by his husband's knack for baking, Andrew Tisdale created a bakery business plan on a sleepless night.

Five years later, Andrew and Stephen Tisdale will compete on an upcoming episode of the Food Network's newest culinary competition show "Winner Cake All." 

The show brings together four, two-person baking teams each week in a series of challenges. Tisdale said he was most excited to meet the host, chef Giada De Laurentiis.

“She was just funny and hilarious and nice," Tisdale said. "It was a really great experience." 

The Tisdales' baking business, Baking Bros, focuses on specialty cakes. They recently made a brain-shaped cake for a doctor at Sparrow and whipped up a turkey-shaped cake around Thanksgiving.

The episode of "Winner Cake All" the Tisdales appeared on celebrated the 250th episode of Guy Fieri's "Guy's Grocery Games," another Food Network competition show.

Fieri's son, Hunter, asked the bakers to make a cake for the celebration. The winner got $10,000 and served their cake to Fieri and his crew.

The Tisdales didn't initially apply to be on the show. Andrew Tisdale said the Food Network reached out to the couple in August about auditioning. They made it on after rounds of interviews. 

Tisdale said they became more comfortable with the cameras after spending five days shooting the show in Los Angeles. 

“It was strange baking and then you look up and there’s 15 cameras in your direction," he said. "So that part was bizarre.”

The couple still keeps in touch with their competitors.

The Tisdales started Baking Bros around the time they got married five years ago. They moved to the Lansing area from New Jersey about a year and a half ago and run the business out of their home. 

Both work full-time jobs outside of the baking business. Andrew is an 8th grade biology teacher at Haslett Middle School. Stephen works as a employment specialist at Peckham. 

“We don’t really have a day off anymore," Andrew Tisdale said. "But we love doing it. We really do.”

How to watch

"Winner Cake All"

The Food Network

Monday, Feb. 4, 10 p.m. Eastern Time

Contact reporter Haley Hansen at (517) 267-1344 or hhansen@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @halehansen.