Locals on TV

Young Mansfield prodigy competes on Food Network baking show

Duff Goldman will serve as a mentor.

Courtesy of Food Network

A junior baker from Mansfield will get his shot in the limelight as a contestant on a Food Network baking show. Called Kids Baking Championship, it'll premiere on the Food Network at 8 pm January 7 with a dozen young bakers, ranging in age from 9 to 13.

Those include Jaxon Remillard, an 11-year-old baking prodigy from Mansfield.

The young contestants will be tested in dessert challenges such as sugar cookies, mini cheesecakes, macarons, brownies, and blondies.

Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman will serve as celebrity mentors. The grand prize is $25,000 and a feature in Food Network Magazine.

Food Network president Courtney White says in a release that the young bakers' abilities are "truly remarkable."

"Even the most skilled pastry chefs would crumble under the pressure," White says. Crumble like a cookie. Food metaphors are most effective in press releases such as this.

The show has 10 episodes. Some of the confections that will emerge include freaky flavor tarts using ingredients like jalapeño, goat cheese yuzu, and anise.

On the debut episode, the bakers must serve cupcakes featuring Duff's favorite ingredient, which is bacon. Urgh, really, Duff? Each baker must also include an assigned ingredient such as maple, chocolate, peanut, caramel, cinnamon, ginger, or cherry.

Valerie throws a curveball when she requests they add her favorite ingredient, marzipan. At least it's not bacon. Thank you, Valerie.

Remillard is one of three contestants from Texas. He's joined by Gavin Crawford from Pearland and Madison Totaro of Austin, both of whom are also 11 years old.

celebrities tv

Holiday News

All the Christmas trees in Dallas-Fort Worth, ranked by size

Photo courtesy of Galleria Dallas

Galleria Dallas and its very big Xmas tree.

Holiday 2024 is shaping up to be the most festive ever in Dallas-Fort Worth, and we have a new benchmark: The Christmas tree. Cities and malls across Dallas-Fort Worth are raising and lighting their community Christmas tree with a new imperative: Whose is biggest?

With everyone vying to be DFW's version of Rockefeller Center in New York (which this year comes in at 74 feet tall), we thought it was time to take a measuring stick.

Here is our roundup of lighted Christmas trees in DFW in order from tallest to shortest:

Galleria Dallas

The North Dallas mall purports to have the tallest indoor Christmas tree in Texas. ("Everyone from USA Today to Martha Stewart has declared it so," says a Galleria spokesperson.) Installed in the center of their trademark ice rink, it's a 95-foot-tall beauty with 700 branches, hand-sewn twigs, thousands of ball ornaments, and a 10-foot LED star topper that weighs 100 pounds — all told, it takes nearly 50 people and five days to erect. Best of all, the tree is synthetic — so much better than killing a real tree.) They'll do a tree lighting on November 29 and 30.

Sundance Square, Fort Worth

Coming in at second tallest is the 82-foot-tall Norway Spruce at Fort Worth's Sundance Square. It's the largest live tree in Texas and made its grand arrival from Cadillac, Michigan to Sundance Square Plaza on November 25. It's 8 feet taller than this year's Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center in New York City so you know Fort Worth is going for bragging rights. There will be a tree lighting from 6-7 pm on December 3.

Peace Plaza,Main Station in Grapevine

Grapevine, the Christmas Capital of Texas, has a sizable entry at 60 feet. It's right next to the outdoor skating rink on the plaza lawn. There wasn't a ceremonious lighting of the tree this year in favor of a street lighting for the Parade of Lights. However, the lights will be on twinkling each night.

Kaleidoscope Park, Frisco

Newly opened Frisco park has put up its first-ever Christmas tree, featuring a 50-foot tree decorated with 42,000 twinkling lights synchronized to festive music. The tree was first lit by Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney on November 22. The tree is located on the park's Activity Lawn.

Klyde Warren Park, Dallas

Downtown Dallas park will host the lighting of the Mayor’s Christmas Tree, a 50-foot-tall, 5,000-pound tree with nearly 40,000 LED lights. They'll host a tree-lighting celebration on December 7 at 6 ;pm, with festivities and music, including a Nutcracker performance and music from the Emerald City Band.

Allen Premium Outlets Mall, Allen

Allen has an admirable entry for an outlet mall: a 38-foot synthetic tree wrapped in 2,000 lights. Extra points for the synthetic. The lights first went up on November 21. Find the tree in the central court, right behind the Allen Premium Outlets sign.

Addison Circle, Addison

As part of Addison's Rockin' Around the Circle holiday activities, the town has set up a 32-foot tall tree, perched on top of a six-foot base, coming in at approximately three stories high. For an added touch, lights on the tree are even synchronized to Christmas music.

Hotel Drover, Fort Worth

The Stockyards hotel has installed a 30-foot Christmas tree located in The Backyard. They'll host a tree lighting on November 29, but only open to guests who stay overnight.

City of Carrollton, Carrollton

Carrollton has a 20-foot-tall tree located on the historic downtown square and they are doing up their tree lighting on December 7 with great fanfare, including photos with Santa, toy soldier stilt walkers, face painting, photo booth, and a 175-foot drone show to accompany the tree lighting. It starts at 7 pm.

Grand Prairie Premium Outlets, Grand Prairie

The outlet mall has a 20-foot-tall synthetic Christmas tree which they installed on November 22.

BONUS: Vitruvian Park, Addison

This isn't a singular tree lighting, but the park's 455 trees are wrapped in over 1.2 million sparkling LED lights as part of a tree lighting display on November 30. Additionally, there will be free Santa photos, letters to Santa, a live reindeer, classic holiday characters, an elf ballon artist, food trucks, and vendors.

holidays