A UCSF scientist is representing SF on 'The Great American Baking Show'

"Lad, 29, who lives in the Lower Haight, will represent San Francisco on Season 4 of "The Great American Baking Show," which premieres May 11 on the Roku Channel. Like its British counterpart, the popular show pits highly skilled home bakers against each other as they race against the clock to craft extravagant cakes in a tent setting. The cakes are then judged by celebrity chef Paul Hollywood, as well as restaurateur, chef and writer Prue Leith; each week, a different baker is sent home."

"Lad was one of the eight out of approximately 5,000 applicants to make it to London, where they filmed for six weeks straight, he said. "Before you get to the tent, you're kind of feeling overwhelmed by just how much work you've gone through to get here, and then all of a sudden, it's roses and beautiful pastels," Lad told SFGATE in an interview. "You see all of the cameras outside of the tent, which obviously you don't normally see when you're watching the episodes - it was just an illusory experience, I would say.""

"Lad was born and raised in New Jersey but moved to San Francisco in 2021 to work in a glioblastoma research lab at UCSF. He found the research stimulating because any discovery could be a breakthrough; glioblastomas are a common type of malignant brain tumor in adults. Although grim, Lad said there was a lot of appeal to researching something so challenging. Most people who receive the diagnosis die within 15 months, Lad said."

Meeki Lad spent five years at UC San Francisco researching glioblastoma, expecting a career in brain tumor science. He later competed on the American version of The Great British Bake Off and will represent San Francisco on Season 4 of The Great American Baking Show, premiering May 11 on the Roku Channel. The show features skilled home bakers racing against the clock to create elaborate cakes in a tent, judged by Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, with one baker eliminated each week. Lad moved to San Francisco in 2021 for glioblastoma research, finding the work stimulating despite its grim outcomes. After friends left the program and he lacked a social base, he turned to baking to fill his free time and pursued the competition.

Read at SFGATE