Shivangi Sinha
Netflix’s ‘Is It Cake? Holiday’ returned for its second season with the same energy and festive flair that made the first installment a hit. This time, the panel featured judges like Kristen Bell, Lacey Chabert, and Michael Urie, with Mikey Day once again leading the chaos as host. The season brought together six bakers, three from the broader reality-TV world and three from various baking competitions, who faced a mix of cake-illusion challenges and playful mini-games. After a spirited series of rounds, the final three battled it out in the ultimate showdown, with Liz Marek earning a well-deserved victory and taking home the $75,000 prize.
Liz Marek is Focusing on Her Cake Decoration Classes Today
Liz Marek, who first rose to national attention on ‘Is It Cake?’ season 2, has built a long and deeply respected career in the cake-art world. She began decorating cakes as a hobby in 2007, and by 2009, she launched the Artisan Cake Company in Portland, Oregon, marking her official entry into professional baking. Today, her focus is on education. She runs Sugar Geek Show, an online cake-decorating and production school she has led since 2015. Her work has appeared in American Cake Decorators Magazine, Cake Central Magazine, and more, and she authored ‘Artisan Cake Company’s Visual Guide to Cake Decorating.’
Liz eventually closed her brick-and-mortar bakery to concentrate fully on teaching. In her personal life, she and her husband, Dan Marek, separated in 2024 and finalized their divorce in September 2025. They share two children, Ezra and Avalon. Liz has since found happiness again with Gage Smiley, a longtime acquaintance she first knew in school; the two had dated on and off years ago and reconnected after both ended their marriages. They recently vacationed in Bali with their children, and Liz appears joyful and thriving in all aspects of her life.
Melissa Alt Brings an Artistic Flair to Her Cakes
After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts (Painting) from Pratt Institute in 2015, Melissa Alt shifted her artistic training into the world of edible art and launched Melissa Alt Cakes, which she has been running as a cake artist since May 2015. She operates her business in Teaneck, New Jersey, and New York. It is known for its wide range of creations, from classic tiered cakes to fully sculpted and hand-painted designs, reflecting her fine-arts background. Her skill and precision opened the door to culinary production roles, including work on Food Network’s ‘Reality Bites Cupcakes’ in 2018 and Roku’s ‘Eye Candy’ in 2020. In 2021, she earned recognition by winning Episode 1 of Hershey’s Meltdown on Food Network. Today, Melissa continues to grow her cake studio, taking on custom projects that showcase her artistry, while remaining private about her personal life and largely sharing only her creative work with the public.
Timbo Sullivan Wants to Make His Designs and Creations Accessible
Timbo Sullivan, who finished as the second runner-up this season, is a skilled cake and cookie artist who has turned his rising visibility into a thriving creative brand. Based in Columbus, Ohio, he runs Cakes by Timbo, where he showcases his signature style and teaches others through workshops and online classes. His website offers virtual class passes as well as tutorials on some of his most recognizable realistic cakes, including The Easter Egg Thief, The Corpse Bride, and the Luckless Leprechaun cake. Timbo also hosts regular livestreams, connects with fans through interactive sessions, and remains an active presence in the baking community. A five-time Food Network winner, he continues to expand his reach, including attending major industry events like SoFlo.
Fernanda Abarca Has Been Lending Her Creative Skills to Movies As Well
Fernanda Abarca has built an exceptional two-decade career across the world’s leading animation studios, specializing in 3D grooming, surfacing, and look development. She began her artistic journey studying Illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2000 and later completed her BFA in Computer Animation at Ringling College of Art and Design in 2006. Her professional path began with an internship at Electronic Arts in 2005, followed by nearly fourteen years at DreamWorks Animation, where she worked as a Surfacing/Groom Artist and eventually progressed to Lead until early 2020.
She then spent over a year at Pixar Animation Studios as a Groom Artist before moving to Netflix in 2021 as a full-time Look Development Artist. In 2022, Fernanda joined Sunrise Animation Studios, where she continues to work remotely from South Africa as a Groom Lead and has been leading projects there since that time. She has worked on films like ‘Luca’, ‘Boss Baby 2’, and her latest project is ‘David.’ Fernanda prefers keeping her personal life private and is known publicly solely for her extensive professional contributions to the animation industry.
Justin Salinas is Taking His Business and Content Creation to New Heights
Based in Bakersfield, California, Justin runs his own business, Cake It With Justin, which includes both cake artistry and a thriving content-creation brand under the same name. His work spans YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and custom commissions, and he has successfully collaborated with major companies such as Wilton Industries, Mattel, Food Network, and Lush Cosmetics. Justin also teaches both virtual and in-person cake-decorating classes, many of which sell out quickly due to his strong fan following.
He studied Social Work at Washington Adventist University from 2013 to 2016 before fully leaning into baking and digital creation. Over the years, he has appeared on HBO and the Food Network. While Justin keeps most of his personal life light-hearted and private, he has hinted at being single and once shared a screenshot of his mom jokingly sending him a link to apply for a dating reality show. One person he openly highlights, however, is his sister Myah Salinas, to whom he is extremely close and often seen supporting, joking with, and celebrating online.
Paul Bosley is Building His Profile as a Cake Sculptor
Paul Bosely entered the baking world in 2023 when he competed on CTV’s ‘Cross Country Cake Off’ season 2 and won. It was a major shift after spending 30 years as a police officer. Now based in Ottawa, Ontario, he works as a self-taught cake sculptor and has quickly gained attention for his dramatic, character-driven designs. His creations, such as the Scrooge cake inspired by A Christmas Carol, a haunting Nosferatu vampire cake, and an impressively detailed bull cake, showcase his flair for realism and storytelling through sugar. Beyond his artistic pursuits, Paul often shows how deeply he values his wife and daughter, crediting their support as the backbone of his second career and creative evolution.
