Hobbies went viral during the COVID-19 pandemic. From reading to running and gardening, many people found new ways to fill their free time during quarantine. Ruiqi Chen (Medill ’20, ’20) found a new calling in baking — and took her pandemic hobby to the next level.
What started as a pastime while Chen was back in her childhood home led to her championing the fourth season of “The Great American Baking Show,” released May 11.
Chen said living at home in Nashville, Tenn. in 2020 made her feel nostalgic, and her first baking endeavor was an attempt to recreate the Costco cream puffs she grew up eating. Before long, she had fallen into a baking rabbit hole. When the final product “didn’t turn out too badly,” it fueled her confidence to try new recipes, she said.
In 2021, Chen lived in Washington D.C. near fellow Northwestern alum Catherine Kim (Medill ’20, ’20). The two shared a quarantine “bubble,” and Kim sampled the recipes Chen tested out during frequent dinner parties. Kim said cooking and sharing meals gave them both the sense of community they craved during the pandemic.
“We had a mutual agreement that food was a way for us to come together and make an effort to connect during a time that was just so dark and bleak,” Kim said.
Admiring Chen’s creativity and unique talent as an amateur baker, Kim encouraged her to apply for “The Great American Baking Show,” an American adaptation of the popular British television show. Chen applied and completed a rigorous casting process in the spring of 2025 before filming the show in London during July and August. She decided to keep the news a secret from her friends for as long as possible, hoping it would make their reactions that much sweeter.
Though Chen couldn’t have fully prepared herself for the show’s demands, she said her experiences working on journalism deadlines translated well to the high-energy baking tent.
“Anyone that is a journalist or has worked in a newsroom is a little bit masochistic in the sense that you kind of like when the stakes are really high, and things are really crazy,” Chen said.
Chen proved she could take the heat in the last episode when a challenge to make a meringue dessert went awry. All her meringue shells crumbled, despite having succeeded during practice, forcing Chen to plate a dessert she wasn’t satisfied with.
Thinking the incident cost her any chance at victory, Chen said she entered the final two challenges feeling no pressure. Looking back, she said that state of mind helped her win.
Also part of Chen’s 2021 social bubble was Jake Holland (Medill ’20, ’20), who said he was impressed watching Chen compete on the same level as bakers who had decades of experience. He said it was a testament to her preparation and talent.
“She definitely has a star quality and a very natural way of interacting with the hosts and with the other contestants,” Holland said.
Now, Chen and Holland both live in New York City, and he still gets to taste her creations — most recently, a slice of tropical “Love Island USA”-themed cake with buttercream and graham cracker-flavored layers.
Chen continues to bake for fun, despite Kim’s wishes that she start her own cake business. Chen said though being on the show was tiring, it was ultimately “a lesson in resilience.”
“It was so exhausting and overwhelming and all consuming, but I got through it and did pretty well,” Chen said.
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