Candace Nelson

Candace Nelson (born May 8, 1974[1]) is an Indonesian-born American pastry chef and judge on the television series Cupcake Wars and Sugar Rush.

[5] Before entering the bakery business, Nelson and her husband, Charles (born 1969[1]), a native of Oklahoma, worked as investment bankers.

[6] After the dot-com bust, Nelson decided to focus on pastry making and opened a custom cake business from her home in San Francisco.

[6] Nelson is described as having a "sophisticated" take on the classic cupcake, using finest quality ingredients like sweet cream butter, pure Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla and Callebaut chocolate.

Sprinkles fans include Oprah Winfrey, Blake Lively, Katie Holmes, Ryan Seacrest, Tom Cruise, Barbra Streisand, and Serena Williams.

[15] Nelson is a judge on the competition series Cupcake Wars, syndicated around the world, and Sugar Rush, which she executive produced.