Julian Jimenez advances into sixth round of Food Network Spring Baking Championship
Julian Jimenez, Folsom’s beloved pastry chef whose creations continue to captivate judges and viewers alike on Food Network’s Spring Baking Championship, advanced once again this week — though a surprise strategic move sparked second thoughts for the local business owner.
In round five of the championship, which aired Monday night, the competition narrowed to eight remaining bakers in the race for the $25,000 grand prize and the coveted title of champion. Jimenez, owner of Julian’s Patisserie and Café in Folsom, continued to display his signature creativity and heart in a challenge that pushed all competitors to the edge of their technical limits.
The episode opened with a nostalgic “Fountain of Youth” challenge, where bakers were asked to elevate a childhood dessert. Jimenez took inspiration from a pivotal moment in his own life — a ninth-grade family trip to Paris — and recreated a version of a fraisier cake he once enjoyed at a small Parisian bakery.
“My childhood dessert today is a financier cake,” he explained. “I’m going to have almond joconde cake, pistachio mousseline, fresh strawberries. To elevate this dessert, I want to build inside chocolate flower petals because nothing’s been screaming spring more than flowers.”
Although visually stunning, his dessert fell short of winning the round. But Jimenez had his eyes on something bigger — the main heat for the week.
Time, Memories and Immunity Unite
For the main challenge, contestants were tasked with designing a “top-forward clock cake,” a visually striking style that is trending today. Each baker was asked to set their cake’s hands to a meaningful time in their life and craft a story around it. Jimenez once again drew from his Paris experience.
“I’m going to do my clock handset to 4 p.m. because one of my fondest memories was my family’s trip to Paris in ninth grade,” Jimenez said. “That inspired this whole culinary journey of becoming a pastry chef. I remember getting off the plane thinking it was 4 p.m. — and back home it was 8 a.m. My friends were going to school, and I was about to explore bakeries.”
Like all of his creations, Jimenez’s clock cake design was ambitious, complete with a chocolate financier base with whipped chocolate ganache, a crunchy hazelnut praline layer, and a modeling chocolate face adorned with Roman numerals, clock hands, vines and roses.
But late into the process, time management became a critical challenge.
“I still have to unmold my cake, add the clock element, stand it up. I’m freaking out, and I’m just not going to have any time to get down to flowers and the vines like I wanted,” Jimenez said as the clock ran down.
Fearing elimination, he made the dramatic choice to use the immunity card he had earned earlier in the competition — a safety net that guaranteed his advancement, even if the cake missed the mark.
“Immunity. Immunity,” Jimenez shouted as he continued to finish the cake. Choosing to play the immunity card locked him into the next round, as he feared the progress of his cake would put that in danger.
Despite his own doubts, the judges were wowed by the creation.
“This is really incredibly clean, beautiful work,” said celebrity judge Duff Goldman, before adding, “Using your immunity card right now, I feel like you might have, or should have, left that in the pocket.”
Fellow judge Kardea Brown praised the intense flavor, noting, “That is such a decadent chocolate. Am I eating a candy bar? You used your immunity — this was the wrong week. You could have won this one.”
Jimenez reflected on the decision with a mix of relief and humor: “Did I just waste my immunity?” he said in his post-round interview. “I just couldn’t risk it at the time, so I am safe.”
From Folsom to Food Network
Jimenez’s journey to the national spotlight began in his grandmother’s kitchen, where he first discovered a love for baking. That early spark led to years of culinary development, including professional roles with Norwegian Cruise Lines in Hawaii and later as executive pastry chef at luxury Las Vegas resorts such as the Bellagio, Cosmopolitan and Caesars Palace.
Despite the success he’s achieved on national stages, Jimenez ultimately returned home to Folsom to fulfill a dream: opening his own patisserie and sharing his artistry with the community that helped shape him. In 2017, alongside his wife Bailey, he opened Julian’s Patisserie and Café. With the continued support of their children, Abby and Hudson Perrigo-Jimenez, the business has flourished into a beloved local treasure, now serving customers from two Northern California locations.
The long hours, travel and time away from home that came with building his career are part of what fuels Jimenez’s drive in the competition today. As he pushes forward each week in the Spring Baking Championship kitchen, his sights are set not just on the $25,000 prize — but on making his children proud.
In addition to his current run on Spring Baking Championship, Jimenez has previously competed on Holiday Wars, Cake Wars Christmas and Halloween Wars, showcasing his elite talent in sugar artistry, chocolate work and laminated dough. With only eight contestants now remaining, Folsom’s own continues to represent his hometown with creativity, precision and heartfelt purpose.
With another challenge behind him and a bold move on the scoreboard, Jimenez has doubled down on his journey toward baking glory. Fans across the region can follow his progress weekly as he continues to sweeten Folsom’s reputation on a national stage — one decadent dessert at a time.
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