Audri and The Cupcake Wars

by Diane Ciarloni | photos courtesy of C3 Bakery

Audri Fleming of Castle Hills was in the fifth grade when she picked up the TV remote and flipped to the Cupcake Wars, a Canadian reality show about a cupcake-making competition. The series, which lasted for 11 seasons and 137 episodes, first aired on the Food Network two days after Christmas, 2009.

Each episode consisted of three rounds, structured much like the current day Chopped, where one person is eliminated at the end of each round. The final grand prize is $10,000.

That night, Audri watched all three rounds. And, of course, there were more nights.

Audri was intrigued. She already loved her mother Chrissy’s kitchen, helping her decorate cakes and learning the basics of baking from the time she was eight or nine years old. The Cupcake Wars provided an extra push to the next step. One night, the fifth-grader left the TV screen with a new purpose. “My thought was ‘I can do that,’” says Audri. “There were some things I needed to learn, but I didn’t see that as a problem.”

Don’t forget, these thoughts are going through a fifth-grade brain.

Audri began working on her baking and decorating skills. She was totally immersed in the experience.

“By the time I was in the seventh grade,” she says, “I knew this was what I wanted to do as a career. I kept working to improve.” Three years ago, at 13, Audri decided to attend the prestigious Culinary School of America, located approximately an hour’s drive outside New York.

Chrissy, Audri’s mom, is 100-percent supportive. “In the beginning, I thought it was just something she enjoyed doing,” she says. “I never thought it would go this far, but she is completely dedicated and determined to get to that school. ”And just how far is “this far?” In 2017, Audri, who is now a junior at Hebron High School, had business cards printed for her own “C3” bakery (cakes, cupcakes, cookies). True, her “bakery” is Chrissy’s kitchen, but it’s where Audri fills her orders and where she makes money. That money has a specific destination, and it’s not Forever 21. It is, instead, socked away for the tuition required by the CIA.

Audri is only one of four Fleming daughters. “I’ve told all of them to try as hard as they can to do something they love. I feel positive about the CIA school. It’s a three-year program, but it provides a full Bachelor’s degree. The name is wellrecognized, and they help their graduates to find jobs.”

Audri plans to submit her application in February.

“It’s a little scary, but exciting, to think about living there. The dorms at the school are named after spices – cinnamon, clove, nutmeg. I’ll need to make all new friends but that’s okay.”

Audri’s baked creations are exquisitely beautiful. Ask her what is her favorite part of the overall process. You expect her to respond with something like “Oh, the decorating.” No. That’s not it.

“My favorite part is when the person opens the box and a huge smile spreads across his or her face. That’s what gives me the most pleasure.”

That attitude is her ticket to a New Yorkbound jet plane.