–by Mary Helen Darah

Someone with my DNA has resided on Maple Lake in northern Ontario for over seven decades. It has always been a laid-back environment where donning a clean pair of undies, watching hummingbirds have a turf war at the feeder and seeing the loons come in for a landing is considered a productive morning. That has forever changed. I am now surrounded by overachievers and frankly feeling like a bit of a slacker. One neighbor, a lake over, recently was runner up in the History Channel’s survivor show, “Alone,” where contestants survive the elements and potential starvation in the Arctic, sans film crew. The other neighbor, Maggie, who has also grown up by the shores of Maple Lake, was recently a contestant on the Great Canadian Baking Show. Thankfully, dear friend Jan Tidd, who gets the CBC channel, welcomed me and two other friends to her home to cheer on our “Magpie” every Sunday night.

I had been away from our Canadian cabin since September of 2019 and was thrilled to find Maggie Frith and her family at the lake during a recent visit.

Maggie proves that one should never give up. “The Great British Baking Show was one of my favorite shows,” she recalled. “When I found out they were doing a Canadian version I fell off my chair. I tried three times and received three no’s after applying. The fourth-year was the charm.” COVID changes everything and “The Great Canadian Baking Show” was no exception. “In years past you would have auditions at a local culinary institute against other applicants,” said Maggie. “With COVID, all the auditions were a virtual bake-along. The final step was a three-hour-long bake-off with the producers and casting directors on Zoom, while baking in my own kitchen. I waited and waited some more, and then I received the exciting phone call. It was a family affair of cheering as the kids ran down the stairs to celebrate the news.”

Speaking of her family, Maggie shared that she would not have been able to have the experience without the support of her husband, Matt, and her three children. “I missed the first day of kindergarten and junior high. They took one for the team. The take-away lesson for them is that you support your family and support what they love to do,” she stated. Maggie was also not permitted to tell anyone but her immediate family where she was for six weeks. “People began to wonder where I was. There were guesses on everything from marital troubles to that I was in rehab,” she said. “A month after getting the news that I made it on the show, I headed to the tent. It was filmed on the Canadian Film Center grounds in Toronto, close to my home but still far away from my family. We were sequestered because of COVID. We were clustered bakers together on the journey.”

Similar to growing up on Maple Lake, Maggie and her fellow bakers bonded together and formed lifelong friendships. “Being in the tent you are very focused on your own bakes,” she said. “You focus on doing your best and not on what your fellow contestants are doing. The shoot days were long. We were up at 5 am, on set at 6:30 am and did not wrap up until 9 pm.

You really bond as a group when you are with one another around the clock. The energy is amazing. There is no prize. I think that is why the show draws the contestants it does. Baking is the prize along with having your baked goods being judged by professional pastry chefs. The contestants are nice, home bakers that are there for the love of baking. It is not about the money because there is no money. The prize is a fancy bake plate.” However, she recalled, “It was hard to see people leave week after week. Obviously, you wanted to do your best and stay but you wished it could be a fun baking camp and people didn’t have to go. The most memorable part of the experience was meeting nine other people across Canada who were giving it their all in the tent. Since the show ended, we have been in touch daily, which is awesome. In my group of friends, I am the only baker. It is incredible to have a group of people that share your passion for baking.”

In true non-slacker form, this fall Maggie has a new roster of virtual events planned for the upcoming holidays. She has participants from the U.S.A as well as one in Europe. She hosts virtual birthday parties, baking tutorials and corporate team building events for groups up to 30. “I do premeasured kits that arrive in the mail or send people a shopping list so they can shop for themselves. They are lots of fun. Who doesn’t want to make cake pops with their coworkers?” she said. “Home baking during COVID took on a whole new meaning, especially baking for and with family. I bring people together without bringing people physically together. I want to show people that baking can be a fun stress reliever for them as well. I have reached out to people in my former lawyer life and showed them the joys of baking. I want to show my kids that you should follow your passions and not do what others think you should be doing.”

She recalled, “My dad was a politician, and my older sisters went into law. I did too, not really thinking what I wanted for myself. Baking was my stress reliever. Law was stressful. The law was not my calling, baking was. I am a recovered lawyer/baker mom that left the law about seven years ago. Life is too short to do something you don’t love to do.”

Maggie made it to the semi-finals. She was in all but one episode of the show. She and her family live in downtown Toronto when they’re not at Maple Lake inspiring this slacker to follow her dreams.

For those needing a bit of stress relief through baking classes or virtual events, reach out to Maggie at themagpiecakery@gmail.com, ­­­­visit themagpiecakery.com or follow her on Instagram at @themagpiecakery.