2021 has unfortunately kicked off on a sad and dour note for the always growing family of Food Network chefs, hosts and judges, as well as for the world of sugary desserts at large. It was announced that Food Network Challenge and Save My Bakery vet Kerry Vincent, who was also dubbed the "Queen of Cake," died on Saturday, January 2.
At the time of this writing, it's unclear exactly what Kerry Vincent's cause of death was, but it would appear that she'd recently been suffering from some kind of illness without ever publicly disclosing her particular issues. Vincent's passing was first shared by the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show, which she co-founded, via the annual event's Facebook page. The message can be read below.
It is with great sadness that I have to report the passing of Kerry Vincent earlier this evening. Being a very private person when it came to all things not cake, she did not want to put her illness out there to the public. Unfortunately her fight has come to an end but she will no longer have any pain. She will be sorely missed by all who she has touched through the Sugar Arts as will as personally. There will be no services per her request. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
A world-renowned master of the sugar arts, Kerry Vincent began her time as a TV staple a few years after officially retiring from her hall-of-fame culinary career in 2001. Starting in 2006, Vincent kicked off her time as one of the marquee judges on Food Network Challenge, and that run lasted for six years and 75 different episodes of sweet-toothed excellence. That definitely wasn't her only claim to sugary fame, of course, as she also founded The Grand National Wedding Cake competition, an annual event that Food Network has broadcast on several different occasions.
Though being a Food Network Challenge judge was her most prominent role at Food Network, she also reteamed with FNC's Keegan Gerhard as a judge on the limited competition series Last Cake Standing in 2011. That same year, Vincent popped up a handful of times in the fifth season of The Best Thing I Ever Ate, where she talked up ice cream, finger foods, French dishes and "eggstraordinary" meals.
After that, Kerry Vincent went on to serve as the lone hostess for the non-competition series Save My Bakery, in which she offered her expertise and guidance to owners of struggling bakeries; the show ran for one season in 2014. Most recently, she appeared as a judge for the series Holiday Gingerbread Showdown, which debuted its mini-seasons in 2018.
Though Vincent is so well known at this point in Tulsa, Oklahoma for her many years with the non-profit Sugar Arts Show organization – to the point where October 6 is celebrated in Tulsa as "Kerry Vincent Day" – she was actually born in Wyalkatchem in Western Australia. She left the country in her 20s, according to the Oklahoma Sugar Artists website, after developing her skills in the fields of modeling and communications, and soon brought her culinary creations in many different locations around the world.
Kerry Vincent's cakes and her talents have been celebrated and lauded for decades, and she earned more than 100 blue ribbons for her eye-catching creations. Her legacy will forever live on, as she was inducted into both the International Cake Exploration Societé Hall of Fame and the Dessert Professional Hall of Fame.
We at CinemaBlend extend our thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of Kerry Vincent during this time of mourning. It seems like a good time to find yourself a piece of truly delectable cake to enjoy in her honor.
