CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Jeffery Gray studied fine arts during his time at Austin Peay State University. But after graduation, he took those art skills in a different direction as a self-taught baker, attributing his skills to tutorial videos and cooking shows.
Now he owns a home-based bakery in Atlanta and is a competitor on Food Network’s “Holiday Baking Championship.”
Gray moved out to Atlanta shortly after graduating from Austin Peay, and he started Papa Bear Bakery in early 2019.
“I started it as a creative outlet,” Gray said. “My mom always made this great pumpkin bread, and my original plan was to make pumpkin bread and sell it.”
A few months after his start-up, one of Gray’s friends asked him to bake a cake, and he’s been baking cakes ever since.
The Food Network reached out to him earlier this year wanting to have him on the show.
Even though Gray isn’t the most experienced baker in the bunch, he said the competition sets all of the bakers on even ground.
“It was a complete learning experience,” Gray said.
His time in the art program at Austin Peay helped him become a more creative baker. “The cakes are my new canvas,” Gray said.
With all the publicity the show has given him, Gray said his holidays are basically booked.
You can watch Gray on “Holiday Baking Championship” on the Food Network on Monday nights at 8 p.m.