The wait is over, as the world has its new Baking Champion in the Holiday Baking Championship 2025. A festive baking show on Food Network, which has been collecting skilled bakers for the last 11 years and making them compete against each other to get the season’s best holiday baker.
This year, the show aired in November on its 12th season, and the show introduced an exciting new twist by dividing the 12 competing bakers into Naughty and Nice teams- a perfect Christmas Theme.
Now, as the bakers compete in a whimsical holiday village filled with creative challenges inspired by winter traditions, the show has finally come to an end, with its winner.
Winner Of Holiday Baking Championship
If you have not watched the finale, sorry for the spoilers; The winner of the Season 12th of Holiday Baking Championship is Charles Zimmerman.
Well, the final battle was between the five bakers – Ashleigh, Charles, Chase, Tarek, and Nico. Unfortunately, Nico was eliminated, and the four bakers were tasked with the finale rounds.
Starting from the preheat challenge, the bakers hopped to the elimination round, and finally, in the ultimate main heat challenge, the bakers were supposed to bake a multi-tiered cake that pits Naughty against Nice with different themes.
Judged by Nancy Fuller and Kardea Brown, along with the guest judge Zac Young, the final creations were evaluated to decide who would walk away with the $25,000 grand prize and the title of Holiday Baking Champion for Season 12.
Charles, who was in the Team Naughty, took the prize and the money by creating a multi-tiered “Santa vs. Scrooge as a show stopper.
In the final moments, Charles said, “I put everything I had into this cake, and I did it. I feel on top of the world, and I’m just thrilled that I got that win at the end. All of it was worth it”.
His cake cleverly captured the two contrasting holiday characters – Santa and Scrooge, with Santa being the cheerful and vibrant, whereas Scrooge has a more somber and spiced flavor.
About The Winner: Charles Zimmerman
Talking about Charles Zimmerman, he is from Charlottesville, Virginia. He got his breakthrough in the 5th episode of the show with vanilla entremet, which became his key to the finale. He serves as Executive Pastry Chef at Farmington Country Club and is known to be a great leader with perfect technical and creative skills needed for baking.
Charles has also trained with prestigious kitchens, including Per Se in New York and The French Laundry in California, giving him a strong foundation in European‑style pastry techniques.
Before the Holiday Baking Championship, he participated in Holiday Wars, Season 5 on Food Network, and was one of the finalists. His prior experience refined his storytelling through baking and helped him win the Holiday Baking Championship.
However, his European‑style pastry techniques were something that became a hindrance in the Holiday Baking Championship. “They have more of a Southern style of cooking and what they prefer. And I’m very European-French trained, and that’s what I prefer,” Zimmerman said.
But somehow, he figured out that the palate of the judges was what helped him succeed. Charles took a cash prize of USD 25,000 along with the big title of Holiday Baking Championship.
Team Naughty or Team Nice? A Holiday Baking Championship Showdown
Holiday Baking Championship is a Food Network reality show that focuses on the happiness, creativity, and skill that go into holiday baking. In the show, skilled bakers from across the U.S. take on challenges that may involve technical skills, creativity, and holiday-themed designs.
The show is divided into two parts: the Pre-Heat Challenge, where the bakers make a quick dessert, and the Main Heat Challenge where the dishes are supposed to more creative.
At the end of the show, the winner receives $25,000, the title of Holiday Baking Champion, a feature in Food Network Magazine, and obviously, the fame & name come along with the title.
Holiday Baking Championship Winners (Seasons 1–11)
- Season 1 (2014) – Erin Campbell (Hopkins, MN)
- Season 2 (2015) – Maeve Rochford (San Diego, CA)
- Season 3 (2016) – Jason Smith (Grayson, KY)
- Season 4 (2017) – Jennifer Barney (San Jose, CA)
- Season 5 (2018) – Douglas Phillips (Toronto, ON, Canada)
- Season 6 (2019) – Melissa Yanc (Healdsburg, CA)
- Season 7 (2020) – Julianna Jung (Atlanta, GA)
- Season 8 (2021) – Jody O’Sullivan (Birmingham, AL)
- Season 9 (2022) – Madi Baugh (Lehi, UT)
- Season 10 (2023) – Ashley Kroese (Medina, MN)
- Season 11 (2024) – Ashley Landerman (Fuquay‑Varina, NC)
- Season 11 (2024) – Charles Zimmerman (Charlottesville, VA)
Conclusion
The season has come to an end, and the fans have got their new baker – Charles Zimmerman. Now, fans need to wait until next year to see their favorite show. Until then, let’s congratulate Charles on his big win.
