34 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MAY 21-27, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com FACE TO FACE If some desserts at Carmel Valley Ranch look familiar, you are probably a fan of Food Network’s The Ultimate Baking Championship. The resort’s pastry chef, Molly Coen, won the competition and its $50,000 prize, outlasting 15 other masters through grueling challenges over nine episodes. While the program aired, Coen showcased a version of that week’s dessert at the restaurant. She is bringing the television treats back to the menu throughout the summer. Coen grew up baking with her grandmothers and even before high school had decided on a career in the kitchen. After graduating from Johnson & Wales University, Coen returned home to Colorado, working at different restaurants, as well as the Four Seasons Hotel in Denver. Although it was her first televised competition, Coen did win the Brunch Fest in Denver twice—a fact she could share when she joined the CVR team in December 2025. The show had been recorded three months earlier, but she had to keep silent about her participation until it aired. And the win? Family, friends and colleagues learned about it at a watch party held at the resort for the final episode. Weekly: How did you manage to keep the secret all that time? Coen: They don’t give you the prize until you get to the end, so you have to keep it a secret. People were speculating. One of my cooks said, “I know you won because you bought patio furniture.” What was the first call you received? My dad, my brothers. My mom was here with me, but my brothers had to work and my dad couldn’t make it. A lot of people flew out and were sitting at the table with me. It was chaos, tears and joy and screaming. Did you watch the entire series? I did. I watched some episodes a few times. I don’t know why. It was uncomfortable in some moments, exciting in some moments. It looked like a grueling competition. It shows you the caliber of people who were on the show. We were all like, “One-two-three, break” and do what we had to do. It was an exercise in trusting your gut. You don’t want to try a new technique. Stick with what you know. I gave myself a few heart attacks. Like the red velvet cake? Red velvet cake was the worst. I don’t like red velvet cake. The whole world knows that now. No one really likes red velvet cake. I’m glad you said that. Has everything calmed down? Yeah, a little. I have an interview today, I had an interview yesterday, I’m going on the news tomorrow. I’m just trying to get back to reality. The pressure was turned up. You think about it—we were changing the menu every five days. But people could buy it to take home and then watch the show while eating the dessert. Everyone who came in loved it. Obvious question: What are you planning to do with the money? For now our plan is to—I don’t want to say be mature—to save as much as possible. But I am going on a big trip for my 30th birthday, to Greece for two weeks. I did a project in college: Greek mythology in bread—I bet you never thought you’d hear that. My favorite cuisines are Greek and Italian. I plan my trips around food. Since you are surrounded by desserts all day… Oh, my gosh—I get home, I don’t want any sugar. But after I eat, I have to have dessert. I love ice cream, mint chocolate chip from Trader Joe’s. What brought you to California? I always wanted to live by the beach. Florida and Texas were out of the question because I don’t like the climate. I always said no California, because I didn’t like the traffic. We landed in the best pocket of California. We’ve been gardening. I have a lemon tree, a lime tree. I’ve enjoyed being outside, walking to Lovers Point, sunset at Asilomar. Coast Guard pier to watch the seals. I could stare at the bay for hours. In Texas, when I checked the weather, I knew what to expect all day. Here… I know. My friends ask me about the weather, I tell them if it’s 65 and cloudy, it feels like 50. If it’s 65 and sunny, it feels like 80. Pack accordingly. Would you do another TV show? Absolutely. I enjoyed the chaos. It was 21 days of complete blur. My college and high school posted it. You know those senior superlatives? I got “most likely to be on Food Network.” And now I have been. Just Dessert Pastry Chef Molly Coen was a winner before coming to Monterey County, but the rest of us just found out. By Dave Faries At the watch party for the finale of The Ultimate Baking Championship, Carmel Valley Ranch Pastry Chef Molly Coen knew the outcome. She says she had her phone ready to record her guests’ reactions. COURTESY CARMEL VALLEY RANCH Looking for a new Love? So is Peanut. (He’d love to meet you.) Golden Oldies Cat Rescue www.gocatrescue.org 831•200•9232 Adopt Volunteer Foster Older Cats New Beginnings Breeze Want to meet Breeze? Please fill out our online adoption questionnaire. 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