Interview with Recipe to Riches’ Dessert Category Winner Jesse Meredith

I will be live tweeting again tonight as I watch Recipe to Riches! 

Jesse, you mentioned you are an actor. How did that dream come to you? Is there anything we might have seen you in?

Throughout my childhood, I grew up playing all types of sports; from soccer to hockey, basketball to baseball, and everything in between. I was never really good at any sports, and was only doing them because I thought that is what young boys were supposed to be doing. Then in middle school, I got my first dose of acting in drama class and I fell hard for it. From there on out, I slowly weaned out sports and followed my passions, like baking, – and let me tell you, once you start following your passions you become a million times happier for it. Who knew that as a result of my pursuit I would see my face on the PC(®) Mini Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake Cups at Loblaw stores across the country?

As a stage actor who just recently graduated from Simon Fraser University, I haven’t had a chance to do much work yet – especially with the hustle and bustle of Recipe to Riches. Hopefully something soon though!

One of my favourite moments of the Desserts episode of Recipe to Riches was when you saw Arlene Dickinson and recognized her from the Dragons’ Den. What were you thinking at that moment?

Oh man! Well what you did not see in the episode was my reaction to Gail Simmons at first. They kept us in the dark about the judges because they wanted our “honest” opinions when we saw them. When I walked out and saw Gail, I was thinking GAIL SIMMONS – IS THAT “THE” GAIL SIMMONS? As a big fan, I was especially excited to see her there. Then when I put down my bite in front of Arlene, and looked up, I didn’t recognize her at first – 1) because I was so focused on Gail and 2) because I was so used to seeing her with bright red hair. When it finally sank in, I was super nervous because I know how tough she is.

You mentioned your winning PC(®) Mini Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake Cups were inspired by your sister and her health issues, which is wonderful in and of itself. I am curious, do you have a sweet tooth too?

I do have a sweet tooth, which is a good thing because it encourages me to bake, not only to put smiles on people’s faces, but also to satisfy my sweet cravings. My sweet tooth is also beneficial in coming up with new flavour combinations as I’ve sampled a lot of sweets in my travels. This helps me get a better sense of what flavours work together, and which ones don’t.

Have you always been a foodie or is this a new pursuit?

I have always been a foodie – which one would not guess by looking at my stature! One of my favourite things to do is to travel, and one of my favourite things to do while travelling is to try new food. If I could just drop everything and eat my way around the world, I would. I also like to check out my local Real Canadian Superstore to see what kind of new treats the team at President’s Choice(®) is coming up with – it’s a great way to be able to try the latest flavour combinations at home.

Tough question here… What do you like more: food or acting? (Devilish grin…)

Hahaha, you are really going to make me choose? They both have their own merits and both have their way of making people smile. If I had to choose one to do for a career I would have to combine them both – perhaps a baking show in which I can entertain and bake at the same time. Sorry for taking the easy way out, but both rank too high on my list of pleasures to choose!!

I can not imagine what it must have been like to discover that typo in your sign. Did you get a chance to proofread it? Did you think it would cost you the competition?

I unfortunately did not get the chance to proofread it. I showed up at the event, and everything was there for me. Because Erica and I did so well on the batch up challenge I knew that it was going to come down to the marketing challenge, which put a huge amount of stress on me. I was trying not to let it show, but I knew the event needed to go off without a hitch – and it almost did. I was running around getting everything ready, and before I knew it the event was already underway. Then Arlene came by, and she seemed to love everything. From the crowd I was pulling in with the Dancers, to my name change on the bites. Then she saw the typo, and my heart sank. It even took me 3 re-reads of the sign to realize that it was there. In the car back to the studio, I convinced myself I had lost because of this one mistake – this is where you get that intense bit of emotion for me. I wasn’t just doing this for myself, but I was also doing this for my sister, and I was convinced that my lack of perception was going to cost me/us the show – that’s why I looked so in shock when I won the competition.

What’s also great is that I still have an opportunity to win the grand prize – which is very exciting for me. In order to win I need your votes – so please try my PC(®) Mini Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake Cups which are available at Real Atlantic Superstore (®) and Loblaws(®) locations and I encourage your readers to vote for me come the final week of shows to win $250,000! Their votes would be extremely appreciated. (You can vote online at www.cbc.ca/recipetoricheswww.cbc.ca/recipetoriches starting on March 26.) Thank you so much Suzie for having me on your blog!!!

You are welcome Jesse! Good luck! 

If you are curious about Jesse’s winning recipe you can find it here. You can also click here for Erica’s Maple Butter Tarts recipe and here for Brad’s Co Co Nut Nut Bars.