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Anya Fazulyanov is shown in a promotional photo for an appearance on the Food Network’s “Christmas Cookie Challenge.”
Courtesy Food Network
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This undated photo shows cookies decorated by Anya Fazulyanov for an appearance by Adam Sandler in Salt Lake City in 2023.
Courtesy Anya Fazulyanov
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This undated photo shows Anya Fazulyanov decorating cookies in her home kitchen.
Courtesy Christine Carey Fazulyanov
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This undated photo shows cookies decorated by Anya Fazulyanov for an appearance by Twenty One Pilots in Salt Lake City in 2024.
Courtesy Anya Fazulyanov
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Cedar Hills teen Anya Fazulyanov is shown in an undated photo taken during her appearance on Food Network’s “Christmas Cookie Challenge.”
Courtesy Food Network
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This September 2023 photo shows Anya Fazulyanov during a cookie class at The Shops of Riverwoods in Provo.
Courtesy Anya Fazulyanov
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When Anya Fazulyanov was a child reading cookbooks as opposed to traditional picture books for bedtime stories, she probably had no idea it would fuel a passion that she’d parlay into a custom cookie-making business — and eventually land her on national television.
On Thursday, just days after her 19th birthday, the Cedar Hills teen’s blend of artistic decorating and baking was on display in front of millions of viewers on Season 8, Episode 7 of Food Network’s “Christmas Cookie Challenge.”
In the episode entitled “North Pole Town Square,” the bake-off consisted of two rounds in which Fazulyanov competed against others in a skill of baking and creative decorating that involved constructing a gazebo out of cookies.
She reigned victorious in both rounds, ultimately winning $10,000 and other prizes.
From a hobby to a business
Fazulyanov’s love for baking began at a young age.
While other kids were likely playing with toy ovens, through the encouragement and help from her mother, Fazulyanov was trying her hand at baking treats using a real oven.
“My mom was always someone that was like, ‘Don’t use an Easy Bake Oven, just go straight to the real oven and do the real deal,’” she explained.
When Fazulyanov turned 14, she took a cookie class and learned custom cookie decorating, which spiraled into her starting a business when she was in just the ninth grade.
“That kind of kick-started this whole custom sugar cookie business, because I had been baking in the past, but I had never done that specific type of royal icing cookie,” Fazulyanov said. “And so ever since that class, I started teaching myself more and more about how to make these certain types of cookies and then that’s how I kind of started my business.”
This led to receiving custom cookie requests from neighbors, friends, local businesses and even celebrities.
Baking on the national stage
Fazulyanov loves all things art, design and creativity, so being able to mesh it all together into baking custom sugar cookies propelled her to strive toward a lifelong dream of being on the Food Network.
No stranger to the big cameras and bright lights, as she has done numerous local television appearances and segments, Fazulyanov felt up to the challenge of doing what she loves in front of a national audience.
Just before her 17th birthday, she reached out to a casting manager for the “Christmas Cookie Challenge,” one of the various shows on the cable channel’s lineup, to explore participating in a competition.
However, at that time, she was too young to be on the show, the casting manager told her. Nevertheless, the teen baker was determined to give it another shot once she turned 18 last fall.
Conversations were initiated to start the process, but getting on the show was no simple feat.
The process involved multiple rounds of auditions and interviews where casting staff and producers vetted the potential contestants to ensure they can execute on the show.
“Then I eventually got the call that I was going to be on it, which was super exciting,” Fazulyanov said.
Fazulyanov and her mother traveled to Southern California for filming last April, an experience she described as surreal.
“You watch it on TV, and then to be in that kitchen, and just being in a Food Network kitchen in general — there’s every single tool, every single ingredient you could literally think of right at your fingertips,” Fazulyanov explained.
The experience was intense at times, she said, but it helped push her out of her comfort zone.
“I’m someone who overall works pretty well under pressure. And so the whole time, (in the) competition aspect, while it was definitely a challenge, I feel like I have kind of been preparing for that with all of my procrastination skills,” she joked.
The filming took place in April while she was still a senior at American Fork High School. She had to keep the experience under wraps for the most part until just weeks before the show aired.
“And it was hard keeping it a secret,” Fazulyanov said.
The episode shows Fazulyanov dazzling the judges with two winter sports-themed cookies in the first round, then crafting makeshift 10-foot-tall Christmas gazebos with pitched roofs and vibrant decor.
She sealed the deal in the second round by incorporating her grandmother’s Victorian-style gazebo design, using pink and green colors and infusing the structure with lavender sugar and cinnamon.
“Oh, my goodness,” she exclaimed as the judges announced the winner. “Winning with the design that was dedicated to my grandma really means a lot to me and I know she’s really proud of me.”
Fazulyanov says she plans to use the winnings to do a pastry program in Europe.
An inspiration for others
Currently, Fazulyanov is a student at Brigham Young University and plans to continue baking her custom sugar cookies by request.
But she also wants to be a pillar for others who have similar aspirations by releasing a cookie decoration e-book filled with ideas and recipes.
“I’m hoping to have some kind of online resources to teach people how to do cookie decorating. I’ve also taught classes in the past, so I hope to keep teaching those,” Fazulyanov told the Daily Herald.
Clearly not one to be deterred by her youth, Fazulyanov encourages others in her age group to never hold back on chasing their dreams and to take advantage of their support system.
“Don’t let the fact that you’re young or maybe feel an experience intimidate you or let you feel inferior, because it’s just not true,” she said. “And just because you’re young doesn’t mean you can’t do what older adults are doing.”
Fazulyanov’s custom designs and creations can be found online at anyascookies.com or by following her Instagram page @anyascookies.
