TRAVERSE CITY — Chef Montanna Brumfield, a Traverse City native, is bringing Northern Michigan flavor to the national stage as a contestant on Season 13 of the Food Network’s “Holiday Baking Championship.” Brumfield is competing against fellow bakers for a $25,000 cash prize on the pre-recorded competition season currently airing.
Brumfield studied culinary arts at Northwestern Michigan College and now owns Sirene Noowar, a business in Palm Coast, Fla., offering luxury culinary experiences. Her passion for cooking began in early childhood long before she pursued formal training in her hometown.
Growing up in Traverse City, Brumfield developed an early connection to local traditions, recalling that she made her mother a champagne lobster dinner at 5 years old.
“So growing up in traverse, literally born and raised I mean, what’s not to love about growing up in Traverse City?” Brumfield said. “The summers, all you smell is bonfire in the air, s’mores, cherry buds. I was a cherry Festival princess back in my day.”
Brumfield moved to Florida during her sophomore year of high school but returned to Michigan after graduation to study culinary arts.
“That’s when I really got my footing, into the culinary scene,” Brumfield said.
Food Network producers contacted Brumfield earlier this year, where she said she began to cry with emotion and immediately call her brother. She recalled the experience being most surreal when host Jesse Palmer walked into the workshop set.
“When Jesse walked out, literally,” Brumfield said. “And I actually almost started to cry.”
Competing on a televised stage presented challenges far beyond standard commercial cooking.
“Try the pressure of like fulfilling your childhood dream,” Brumfield said. “On top of that, you have a camera in your face. On top of that, you’re competing in an environment you’ve never been in before. So it’s like all these different factors. And then you’re probably thinking about, like, if I do win this, this is it for my career that’s going to jump start me.”
Brumfield noted that participating in the national contest ultimately transformed her outlook on life and stress management.
“I used to take life like overly serious, which I mean, naturally, right?” Brumfield said. “It did get me there, so I can’t be too mad about it, but, this experience taught me to actually. And so I’m really enjoying the journey and like, doing things that just make me happy.”
Hometown supporters and former classmates have sent overflowing encouragement, including friends who remember her early baking attempts.
“Everybody’s like, oh my gosh, you did it,” Brumfield said. “One of my classmates, she texted me. She was like, dude, you’re like the coolest person in our graduating class. I was like, dude, it’s never that serious. A lot of these people have been with me since I was selling like overcooked cinnamon rolls, like way back in the day before I even went to culinary school.”
Reflecting on her career path, Brumfield shared the philosophy she continues to follow.
“I lived by this and I still currently do and I don’t have everything figured out, like fake it until you make it,” Brumfield said.
Although Brumfield cannot reveal the outcome of the competition, she said the pre-recorded season promises plenty of laughter and memorable moments for viewers as episodes air on the Food Network.