Columbia Native Elise Smith Lands Baking Gig on Magnolia Network

Baker and food influencer Elise Smith credits her late grandmother, the owner of a bake shop in Prince George’s County, for introducing her to baking.

“My grandmother, Winnie, always smelled like butter,” says the Columbia native. “I have photos of her making wedding cakes—and I helped her with small tasks when I was as young as six or seven.”

For Smith, 32, baking is about way more than the finished product. “I learned from my grandmother that baking isn’t just about baking—it has the potential to be so much more. It can be a way of expressing grief or love. It can be a way to order your thoughts or provide sustenance. My grandmother used to get me to divulge all my secrets just by talking to me when we were in the kitchen—that’s when I learned how meaningful baking could be.”

After high school, Smith studied sign language at Gallaudet University, but she soon realized she was way more interested in baking. “I was supposed to be studying,” she says, “instead I was obsessed with this brownie recipe.”

Fast-forward to 2021. Smith—by then the owner of her own sweet shop, WinniE’s Bakery—was out walking her beloved pit bull, Sienna, when she realized that the vegan, gluten-free granola recipe she had posted to her Instagram stories was gaining traction. “By Sunday, my story had really blown up,” she says. “Thousands of people were looking at the story.”

One of the people who reached out was none other than design queen and Magnolia Network co-owner Joanna Gaines.

“Once again, I was out walking my dog,” says Smith. “I screamed in the street, then I ran home and called my mother.” Smith wrote on her Instagram account, “I want to share this good news. You won’t believe who was all up in my story, Miss Joanna Stevens Gaines! I would like to bake with her one day.”

Twenty minutes later, Smith heard from Gaines through direct message. “She was like, ‘I’d like to bake with you.’”

By November, Smith was on her way to Waco, Texas, where Gaines lives with her husband, Chip, her business partner (and co-star on the former HGTV show, Fixer-Upper). Smith didn’t realize it at the time, but Gaines was auditioning her for hosting duties on a digital learning series for the Magnolia Network/Discovery+.

“I made her my lemon lavender cake with honey mascarpone buttercream. I thought she was just indulging a fan on a whim,” she says, laughing.

A week later, Smith was offered her own six-part baking workshop as part of the Baked from Scratch series. (The show is airing now and streaming on the Magnolia Network app.)

“I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity and to be living out part of one of my dreams,” Smith says.

And what would Winnie say of her success?

Says Smith, “She’d say, ‘I am so proud, but this is only the beginning.’”

Looking to flex your baking skills? Check out Smith’s recipe for Blood Orange Tarts with Meringue, pictured above.

Blood Orange Tarts with Meringue
Makes 12 tarts

♦ TARTS

Ingredients:
1 package frozen, unbaked pie dough

Directions: Allow the pie dough to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Butter or spray a 12-cup muffin pan. Set aside. Lightly dust a clean surface and rolling pin with flour. Gently roll out dough to even out the surface. Next, cut (12) 2”-2 1/2” rounds. Place rounds in pan. Prick holes in base. Bake according to package directions. Remove. Set on wire rack to cool.

♦  BLOOD ORANGE CURD 

Ingredients:
1/3 cup blood orange juice 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon orange zest 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
4 whole eggs
2 yolks
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter

Directions: Create a double boiler by placing a medium-sized pot on low-medium heat. Fill 1/3 full of water. Bring to soft boil, then reduce heat to low.

In a heat-safe bowl, add blood orange and lemon juice, zest, sugar, eggs, and yolks. Whisk. Place bowl on simmering pot. (Make sure water in pot is not touching bottom of bowl.) Continue whisking mixture for 10 minutes. (Keep base mixture moving to distribute heat throughout. If base sits too long, the egg will cook at bottom of bowl.)

After 10 minutes of whisking, add in cold pieces of butter, one tablespoon at a time until melted in base. Continue whisking for 5 minutes, then use a candy thermometer until mixture reaches 175 degrees F.

Remove double boiler from heat. Pour out water. Return pot to low-medium heat. Add curd. Stir for five minutes until mixture thickens. Place a fine metal sieve over a clean bowl. Press mixture through to capture any cooked egg. Using a 1/4-cup scoop, pour curd base into tart cups while still warm. Cool at room temperature. Refrigerate.

♦  MERINGUE

Ingredients:
3 egg whites
3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: In a medium pot, whisk egg whites and sugar. Whisk until sugar has dissolved over medium heat. Using the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with whisk attachment (or hand mix), add egg mixture. Beat mixture on medium-high until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed for a minute. Using a spoon, apply to top of each tart. Broil tarts for 10 to 20 seconds, until the tops are toasted. Remove and cool for 20 minutes.