Abigail and Kenneth Wolf, winners of the recent Food Network’s baking championship, were honored at the March 19 Henry County Board meeting.
County Chair Kippy Breeden presented them with a framed proclamation that read, in part, “WHEREAS, the County of Henry is deeply committed to the vitality of its local economy and believes wholeheartedly in the promise of young entrepreneurs entering the workforce;
and WHEREAS, Siblings Abigail and Kenneth Wolf, affectionately known as the “Wolf Pack,” represented Henry County with exceptional professionalism, grace and pride in their agricultural heritage before a national audience;
and THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED that the Henry County Board does hereby honor and celebrate Abigail and Kenneth Wolf for their outstanding achievements, their exemplary representation of Henry County, and their inspiring example to young entrepreneurs throughout our community.”
Abigail and Kenneth are the children of Dan and Erica Wolf, who, along with their sister Lucy, spoke about the experience of having contest winners in the family. Abigail spoke about the amount of paperwork required and the lengthy interview process.
“Because the filming was all done last summer in Burbank, Calif., extra state regulations made additional work for contestants,” she said. Kenneth said the six weeks that they were filming were not all work. “We made new friends and had fun, too.”
Contestants were forbidden from announcing the winner, so for nearly half a year, their success was a secret.
“During that time, we were often asked if we won,” said 14-year-old Abigail. ‘But we knew we had to keep our win under wraps.” She went on to say that while the baking took several hours to complete, their efforts were edited down to fit the show’s time of less than an hour. “There was a lot of work that no one saw.”
When the duo was announced as the winners, Kenneth was so overjoyed that he jumped to the floor and made confetti angels. “It was an amazing feeling to win.” In addition to being named winners of the Food Network’s baking championship – Next Gen, they took home a $25,000 prize.
Abigail has been a well known baker in the Geneseo community. She recently received her Cottage Food license and has her own business, Lemon Drop Bakery. “I’ve been extra busy lately,” she said, noting that her cakes and cookies are quite popular.
Kenneth, whose pâte à choux is his specialty, helps in the kitchen, but his hobby is building robots and shooting baskets in the backyard. A mechanical whiz, he’s used some of his winnings to purchase a 3-D printer.
Sister Lucy, a competitive gymnast, admits that she is not interested in baking and was relieved that Kenneth agreed to join her big sister in the contest. “I do like to eat, however.” When she’s not taste testing Abigail’s recipes, she spends up to 14 hours a week at the gym, practicing her skills.
All three children are homeschooled by their mother and help their dad with farming tasks and their family’s large garden.
Following the presentation, each board member was given one of Abigail’s special cookies, compliments of Board Chair Breeden.
