This Brooklyn-based pastry chef is ready to whisk it all, rising from neighborhood kitchens to the national spotlight.
Cesar Ryan Sajulan, who has called Brooklyn home since 2018, is one of 16 elite pastry chefs competing on Food Network’s new series, “The Ultimate Baking Championship,” premiering March 9. The competition tests high-level pastry skills — from piping to pâte à choux — all under intense time pressure.
Hosted by Jesse Palmer and judged by Duff Goldman alongside a rotating panel of baking legends, the series will ultimately reward one chef with a $50,000 grand prize and the title of Ultimate Baking Champion.
Sajulan, originally from the Philippines, is a chef instructor at Atelier Sucre in Lower Manhattan and the author of “Sugar Bible,” a collection of Michelin Star and “five-star quality” desserts. He told Brooklyn Paper that the journey to the show was anything but unpredictable.
“It was like a roller coaster,” he said. “A few months before that, I was supposed to go to Canada for a cooking show, but it got canceled due to unforeseen reasons. So it gave me that excitement, and then after a few months, I received a call from the network about this show.”
After auditioning, he didn’t hear back for months.
“I was like, ‘Okay, maybe I didn’t make it.’ So I went back to normal,” he said. “But then they called me and told me I would be going to California to do ‘The Ultimate Baking Championship.’ I was really not expecting it. This is the first one that they created like this for professional pastry bakers. So it was fun.”
In the Philippines, Sajulan first learned culinary skills from his uncle before pursuing formal training. He moved to Brooklyn in 2018 and quickly felt a community that felt like home.
“I love the place,” he said. “The pastry industry here is evolving and very open to all tastes and cultures. That’s why I fell in love with staying here.”
He credited Brooklyn’s vibrant food scene, from small coffee shops to other up-and-coming pastry chefs, with shaping his work.
“There’s a community here that’s very enthusiastic about desserts,” Sajulan said. “People want to represent their cultures and, at the same time, be on top of the latest trends. I like those little stores in Brooklyn that serve pastries — you can see how they’re made by hand and made by heart.”
Though he began his career cooking savory dishes, Sajulan said dessert ultimately won him over.
“Dessert is the finale of all the dishes, and it always leaves the last impression,” he said. “No matter how bad the main course or the appetizer is, if the dessert is on top, you can be forgiven for everything. It leaves the last impression. I want to be the chef who leaves that last impression.”
He admitted a simpler motivation: “Of course, I love sweets — and everybody loves sweets.”
While he has a particular love for chocolate, one of his most personal desserts draws from childhood memories in the Philippines.
“Flan brings me back to my childhood,” he said. “It’s the very first dessert I made that my dad found me making. I included it in my recipe book. That one is very personal to me.”
For the chef, competing on a national television show like “The Ultimate Baking Championship” brought its own challenges, especially with the added pressure of a ticking clock.
“It was fun and exciting, but nerve-wracking at the same time,” Sajulan said. “You only get a limited time, and you have to make all these dishes. In your head, you think, ‘I can do it,’ and then you realize the time is really short.”
That pressure forces creativity.
“You have to use your imagination and your resources to make things work and plate them nicely and present them well in the final result,” he said.
Still, he described the experience as an “honor.”
“Being able to make it to the show means you’re really at the top,” Sajulan said. “This is not just a regular show. It’s for professional pastry chefs who know everything about baking. It was an experience for me to be part of it.”
Beyond sugar, elaborate techniques, and glossy finishes, Sajulan hopes viewers will see past the pastries.
“Each of the chefs on the show, including myself, has their own personal story behind their desserts,” he said. “It’s not just sweet desserts and sugar. Each dessert we prepare on this show tells a story about us. We want to showcase it through flavors and taste.”
As “The Ultimate Baking Championship” premiere approaches, Sajulan is eager for Brooklyn to tune in.
“Stay tuned for the show,” he said. “This is a one-of-a-kind baking show that Food Network created for this year. I’m so excited to watch it.”
“The Ultimate Baking Championship” premieres March 9 on Food Network.
