TORONTO – Dina Pugliese can handle the heat — both in the kitchen and online.
When she returned as co-host of Citytv’s “Breakfast Television” in March after a two-year hiatus, many viewers were thrilled to see her back. Others, however, were less welcoming, voicing their frustration on social media.
Her comeback followed a wave of shakeups at “BT”: the abrupt departure of co-hosts Meredith Shaw and Sid Seixeiro just weeks after the network scrapped a planned spinoff featuring Cheryl Hickey and Tracy Moore.
Then, shortly after Pugliese’s much-publicized return, she took the summer off — part of which she spent filming the new Food Network competition series “Bake Master Battle.” Cue another round of online backlash, with naysayers accusing her of bailing just as she came back.
“It sucks, it hurts,” Pugliese says of the outrage, though it can be hard to tell what’s genuine disappointment and what’s vitriol for sport in the anonymous echo chambers of the internet.
“Everyone’s like, ‘Don’t read it.’ How do you not, when you open up Instagram and that’s all you see? My gosh, it stings. I’m human.”
Pugliese, who initially left “BT” in 2023 citing burnout, points out most viewers know how much she’s poured into the show over the years.
“For 17 years, I dedicated every single day of my life to it, even while family members were going through serious health struggles, including my husband,” she says.
Pugliese’s spouse, Alek Mirkovich, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2014.
“I was going to the hospital every day for years, months on end, but I go to ‘BT’ in the morning and I compartmentalize my pain,’” she says during a phone interview.
“I’m like, ‘I need to laugh. I need to take my mind off all of the woes and worries of the day.’”
Pugliese says Rogers execs asked if she would return “in any capacity” because they wanted to see more of her signature positivity on TV. On top of rejoining “BT” as co-executive producer, she also set clear boundaries to help avoid burnout.
“I said, ‘If I step in, it has to look and feel different,’” she explains. “I start an hour later now, I get more days off, and I was able to have the summer off — with a couple of weeks shooting ‘Bake Master Battle.’ The balance is definitely there now.”
The Rogers-produced “Bake Master Battle,” premiering Wednesday, pits pairs of professional bakers from across Canada and abroad against each other in themed dessert challenges. Hosted by Pugliese with judges April Julian and Dwight Smith, the eight-episode series features seasonally inspired rounds with competitors racing through timed bakes for a $10,000 prize.
Pugliese says the show captures the sense of connection with the audience and teamwork that drew her back to TV in the first place.
“I feel like now most viewers understand that if I could come back in a capacity where it fills my soul, and we get to put good out into the world and maybe make somebody’s scary day or health diagnosis go away for a second, then it’s (worth it),” she says.
“I really believe laughter is medicine. That truly is what I feel I can contribute to the world — bring more light into the world. It’s so dark. It’s so heavy. So if it means taking on some trolls here and there, what can I do?”
“Bake Master Battle” follows the recent trend of high-energy baking competition shows, including Netflix’s “Is It Cake?” — which Julian was a cast member of — and CBC’s “The Great Canadian Baking Show.” Julian believes the popularity of these shows reflects viewers’ appetite for comforting entertainment in tumultuous times.
“There’s a feel-good nature to this particular show. The competitors still help each other, they cheer each other on,” says the Toronto-based dessert maker.
“I think this is what people are craving — some good kind-heartedness in this world.”
Smith feels the baking trend truly took off during the pandemic.
“There was the sourdough craze, and then I think where it finished off was in the baking craze,” says the Toronto-based red seal chef.
“Everybody is just really infatuated with being able to bake at home and what they’re capable of, and I think these shows tap into that.”
Pugliese says baking provided a vital outlet during her time away from TV.
“I completely nested — I was cleaning, I was baking, I was cooking more than ever, I went for long walks,” she says.
“Baking’s tough. It’s truly a science… I made a lot of crappy cottage cheese, ricotta cheesecakes, all that stuff you see online. Sometimes it was decent. Sometimes it wasn’t.”
She’s now hoping to whisk up some positivity in an era of division.
“The world needs more joy, it needs more good times, it needs more comfort food, and hopefully this is going to do all that.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2025.
