Summit County and Austintown resident lawyer takes on 'Great American Baking Show'

It's easy to see Brad Gessner has made a case for his appearance on "The Great American Baking Show" since he was a young boy.

The chief counsel for the Summit County Prosecutor's Office has been baking since he was 6, and even won his first competition at that age.

The attorney now lives in Austintown. After a stint in the Canton City Prosecutor's Office, he's been working in Summit County for 23 years. Gessner also has spent time as an adjunct professor at Walsh University.

With all that going on, when does he have time to bake? No worries, as he dabbles in all sorts of delicacies and tasty items.

The 62-year-old Gessner said he was inspired to start baking by his mother and grandmother, and took a blue ribbon in the men’s division for his angel food cake at the Canfield Fair. Now, 56 years later, he's is one of the eight contestants on season two of "The Great American Baking Show," which premieres Friday on The Roku Channel.

In a phone conversation this week, Gessner described his preparations for the show, his love for chocolate and his newfound appreciation for browned butter. Gessner also admitted that macarons remain a challenging endeavor, especially given Ohio’s fluctuating weather conditions.

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His baking reminds Gessner of his mother, especially when he makes his mother’s brownie recipe. He now prefers creating nontraditional decorated cakes. Among his favorite moments in the show process was impressing judges during tryouts in Chicago with a checkerboard cake adorned with Italian buttercream and topped with truffles, macarons and a chocolate drip.

Gessner said he was inspired to try out for the show because of his admiration for "The Great British Baking Show." Motivated by the challenges faced by contestants, he decided to apply. Selection was rigorous, involving an initial pool of 20,000 applicants, online interviews, a tasting in Chicago, and a final audition in Pasadena, where he baked in front of producers with cameras rolling.

Once selected, Gessner and his fellow contestants underwent a "boot camp" to prepare for the show that is filmed in England. Gessner took four weeks of vacation from the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office to participate. Each contestant had to create and perfect their own original recipes under time constraints, with the added pressure of cameras, judges and hosts. Gessner cited unpredictable technical challenges as the biggest issue during competition.

He said the lengthy show process also was a challenge, as it kept him away from his family and his dog.

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Baking in the show’s iconic tent outside London was a far cry from his home kitchen. Gessner described it as "controlled chaos," with up to 17 cameras capturing every moment. Baking in England also required adjustments to the different ingredients available, such as variations in the gluten in flour, single and double cream, and runnier cream cheese.

Filming each episode took two days, and contestants bonded over the experience. Gessner recounted a humorous incident when a fellow baker slipped in the mud on her way to the set and landed on her back. Some quick thinking, wet wipes and her sense of humor helped make a quick recovery so she could continue baking.

Since participating in the show, Gessner is eager to tackle new baking challenges. One goal is to replicate a square, croissant-like laminated dough he enjoyed at a bakery, Buns from Home, in London.

For aspiring contestants, Gessner’s advice is simple − practice, practice, practice. Just like law or music, perfecting baking techniques requires dedication and repetition. He enjoyed the effort so much he's now contemplating a pop-up bakery in retirement.

While he remained tight-lipped about specific challenges on the show, Gessner's journey will begin Friday on The Roku Channel.

Reach Bev at bshaffer@gannett.com or 330-441-2706.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Summit County attorney Brad Gessner on 'Great American Baking Show'