Sartaj Singh
‘Baking Impossible’ blends baking and engineering as its contestants create mindboggling marvels of delicious machinery. Having never met before, the participants are paired up in teams of two, with one engineer and one baker. The teams compete against each other in elimination-style rounds, with judges Andrew Smyth, Joanne Chang, and Hakeem Oluseyi presiding over them. Season one of the Netflix reality show premiered on October 6, 2021, with engineer Sara Schonour and Baker Rodolfo Goncalves winning the final round and taking home the Trophy. With more than two years having past since their victory, fans of the show are probably curious about their new adventures and activities.
Sara and Rodolfo Made Sensational and Sweet Contraptions
Lighting designer Sara Schonour and baker Rodolfo Goncalves found themselves teamed up from the first round of ‘Baking Impossible’ with a simple mission: survive. Each round saw the elimination of one out of nine teams on the show, with the winner decided by the judges gaining advantages for the next challenge. The duo went to work together splendidly, safely making it through the first two rounds and winning the third for complete immunity on the fourth. Their breathing room did not last long, however, as they were considered for elimination in the next challenge and narrowly managed to avoid it.
After overcoming the hectic mental and physical hurdles of prolonged competition, Sara and Rodolfo squared off in the final stage against Cindy and Taylor. Tasked with creating a sturdy bridge, a car driving over it, and a boat sailing under it, Sara and Rodolfo gave it their all to secure the momentous win and a cash prize of $100,000.
Sara Schonour is a Proud Proprietor of a Lighting Design Business
The Boston, Massachusetts native turned a new page in her life after winning ‘Baking Impossible,’ continuing her lighting design work with a redefined scope. A vocal part of the LGBTQ+ community, Sara continues to nurture her marriage of 14 years to Shantel Schonour, an educator. The ‘Baking Impossible’ winner is a trekking enthusiast who enjoys hiking to new destinations. She seems to be close with her family and, after winning the show, went to Brookline, Massachusetts, to spend Christmas with them.
For pride month in 2022, Sara participated in the coming out event of NECLIQ: the New England Coalition of Lighting Industry Queers. She and her wife attended the opening of the newest chapter at Club Café Boston on June 1. The event brought together the local LGBTQ community for a meet and greet and to kick off Pride Month. On August 5, 2022, Sara had a hysterectomy to remove a pear-sized fibroid from her uterus. Thankfully, the procedure went smoothly and relieved her of intense periodic pain. She talked about the procedure and spread awareness of the pervasive health issue through social media, urging those assigned female at birth to monitor their reproductive health and not take pain too lightly.
Sara and Rodolfo teamed up once more for the Society of Women Engineers’ WE22 conference in Houston, Texas, in early October 2022. The ‘Baking Impossible’ winners put their bakineering skills to use and helped craft a variety of showpieces, including an obstacle course, a huge edible landscape, and a space-themed dessert delivery. In September, she became the lighting ed-tech company Lytei’s ambassador for the next 10 months. Two months later, in December, they participated in another exciting event with Deltalight’s Art Basel.
Sara welcomed 2023 with a celebration commemorating Maura Healey and Kim Driscoll taking the reins as Governor and Lt. Governor, respectively. In February, the ‘Baking Impossible’ season one victors united to inspire and guide the culinary, robotics, and engineering students at Minuteman High School. Besides talks of career and education, the two had fun recounting their time on ‘Baking Impossible’ and the adventures they have had since. The month also saw a big career step for Sara as she started her own company and brand, Luxsi, to offer lighting design services.
In March, Sara joined Peanut & Crumb’s ‘Create the Future’ episode with Roma Agrawal and Andrew Smyth. April saw the engineer attend Euroluce 2023 in Milan, Italy, where she explored the aesthetic dimension and possibilities of lighting. She made good use of the opportunity to travel around the country and have a well-earned vacation. In May, Sara returned to her lighting community with New York City LightFair as a representative of NACLIQ.
Following a year of work, travel, and visiting friends, the Massachusetts native presided as a judge on Future City finals along with her wife in February 2024. The competition was part of the National Engineering Week event in Washington, D.C. In April 2024, the couple shared that they would be speaking at the National Council of Teachers of English’s annual convention in November. Sara Schonour enjoys her work as a lighting designer, constantly learning and making connections through events and conclaves while being a proactive member of her communities.
Rodolfo Goncalves is a General Manager and Continues Bakes at Every Opportunity
Based in New York City, New York, Rodolfo is a former Brazilian immigrant turned successful baking business owner. His television experience has opened many doors for him, with his hard work and can-do attitude paving the way for innumerable triumphs. After winning ‘Baking Impossible,’ Rodolfo celebrated with Sara, driving to Malibu and relaxing. When the show aired his victory on Netflix, he threw a rooftop party, inviting friends and family.
The baking sensation was widely hailed by North and South American Media as a living example of the American Dream. Not one to spend too much time in leisure, Rodolfo quickly got back to working on cakes, making new designs for his baking brand, Goloso. The star baker was particularly proud of the high-heeled boot cake replica he created for the 10th anniversary of the fashion brand Schutz in NYC.
Rodolfo flexed his competitive baking muscles once more in season 12 of Food Network’s ‘Halloween Wars’ in the Fall of 2022 but could not make it to the ultimate showdown. Shortly afterward, he appeared as a guest on LEX 18’s ‘Best of the Bluegrass’ and baked with host Brandi Romines. He also spoke on multiple podcasts before reuniting with Sara and participating in the aforementioned WE22 conference, Deltalight’s Art Basel, and school event. In late 2023, Rodolfo made a new career move and became the general manager of Berimbau Brazilian Kitchen in NYC. Rodolfo travels with his wife Patricia and son Victor, manages Berimbau Brazilian Kitchen, and continues to bake astonishing cakes to fuel his passions.
