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Nov. 13: Food Network Challenge Bakes Up Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Cakes Competition With Fort Worth Cake Artist, Wendy Collinsworth, of Haute Cakes and Cookies

Just in time for one of her favorite holidays, Fort Worth baker Wendy Collinsworth will make her national television debut after being selected to compete on Food Network Challenge: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Cakes set to air this Sunday, November 13 at 7:00 p.m. CST.

"Food Network Challenge is something I never dreamed I would ever do," said Collinsworth, owner of Haute Cakes and Cookies, an appointment-only bakery in Fort Worth. "In fact, I would watch the show in the past and tell my husband how crazy those people were to put themselves through that kind of stress on national TV - and now I have become one of them!"

The episode showcases four of the top cake designers in America who use their artistry and cake sculpting skills to battle for a $10,000 Grand Prize. Collinsworth, assisted by Jayne Cunningham of Jayne's Cakes in Wylie, Texas, competed in the highly intense, eight-hour competition earlier this year in Denver, Colo.

Collinsworth learned of the auditions last year through friend and fellow cake designer Catherine Ruehle of Sublime Bakery in Fort Worth. A four-time competitor on the show herself, Ruehle prompted her friend to consider the opportunity. "I decided to post a few cake photos on Hall of Fame sugar artist Kerry Vincent's fan page just to see what would happen," Collinsworth said. "Within 20 minutes, a Food Network producer contacted me asking to see more - I was in complete shock!"

Daughter of Elaine Weixel, a former pastry chef and culinary arts instructor, Collinsworth learned the craft of cake design as a young girl and credits her foodie tendencies to the ritual of helping her mother prepare the annual Thanksgiving Day meal. "Our family cherishes Thanksgiving Day so much. My dad has always been very big on all of us being together to celebrate with a big feast, so having the opportunity to compete in this particular Food Network Challenge is especially meaningful to me," said the cake artist.

According to Food Network's website, "a special surprise is in store for the competitors," promising to make this year's Thanksgiving holiday unforgettable.

The Fort Worth baker launched Haute Cakes and Cookies in 2008 after demand for her high-end specialty cakes grew beyond that of friends and family. Several of Collinsworth's most notable cakes include a carnival themed cake with spinning Ferris wheel and rotating carousel for a Dallas Cowboys player's daughter, a 4-1/2 foot tall sculpted Cat in the Hat birthday cake, a 3 1/2-foot tall sculpted wedding dress form, and a six-foot tall birthday cake for Texas Wesleyan Law Library namesake Dee J. Kelly.

"Being on the show was an incredibly surreal experience and I enjoyed every minute of it," Collinsworth said. "It's been a long six-and-a-half months to wait, and I'm excited to finally see it!"

For more information, visit http://www.hautecakesandcookies.com or go to the Haute Cakes and Cookies page on facebook.

MEDIA: High resolution photos are available on request by contacting Wendy Collinsworth at 817-653-0086.

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Haute Cakes and Cookies
P.O. Box 16715
Fort Worth, TX 76162
PHONE. 817-653-0086