Community Corner

Oswego Cake Artist Competing on Food Network's "Halloween Wars"

Mark Lie begins the battle for best Halloween-themed display starting on Oct. 6.

What does an Oswego cake artist, a television and a zombie have in common?

They’re all a part of Food Network’s third annual “Halloween Wars” starting on Sunday, Oct. 6.

Oswego cake artist Mark Lie was selected to be on a team with a random candy craftsman and a pumpkin-carving expert with the goal to create the most elaborate, heart-stopping Halloween themed display and survive until the final week to win $50,000.

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Lie has appeared previously on Food Network Shows, Cake Challenge and Sugar Dome, but this one is rather different.

For starters, Lie said he did not know either of the two members of his team – called Skeleton Crew – that also consists of pumpkin carver Jon Neill and candy craftsman Santosh Tiptur. “Food Network puts the team together… and you have to learn to get along with the other people.”

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Lie also said he’s never worked alongside a pumpkin carver, which isn’t a surprise being a cake artist.

Halloween Wars goes for four episodes, each with a different theme. Up for week one is the theme of “Zombie Prom.”

Lie couldn’t go into details, but he said the most difficult part is the time constraint. “It makes it tough,” he said, especially with the newly added dimension of a pumpkin carver. The team has six hours to create an entirely edible display from the time the clock starts.

Should the Skeleton Crew survive Zombie Prom, they’ll be competing against the remaining three teams in Twisted Nursery Rhymes (Oct. 12), Swamp Creatures Attack (Oct. 19) and Nightmares (Oct. 26).

The special guest judge during week one’s Zombie Prom is Danielle Harris, an actress best known as a “scream queen” for her roles in multiple horror films.

“Going on these shows is a challenge,” said Lie. “I really have to push myself creatively.”

But Lie certainly didn’t start baking on television.

He began a couple years ago in 2006 when after expressing an interest in cake decorating contests his wife signed him up for a cake decorating class.

Using his background in graphic design, Lie quickly developed a fan following on his Facebook page, Piece of Cake, and it all cake-balled from there.

Food Network discovered Lie after he started posting all of his photos online and another cake artist, who had been on Food Network, saw his creations.

“She asked if he could send in my stuff and I’m like, yeah, go ahead. And here I am.”

You can tune in on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. on the Food Network to see if Lie and his team survive Zombie Prom. 


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