Jo Mandet: Where Are They Now?

Spoiler note: this post confirms that Jo Mandet won her season of The Great Canadian Baking Show.

Jo Mandet is the newest name on the Canadian cake stand, having won season 9 of The Great Canadian Baking Show in the finale that aired November 23, 2025. A 44-year-old event planner from the Vancouver area, she beat runners-up Ryan Gridzak of Sault Ste. Marie and Zoë Weinrebe of Toronto, and her winning showstopper was a genuine stunner: a "sweetie day" madeleine tree of lemon and strawberry madeleines paired with licorice cake rolls, baked in homage to her dad's favorite treat.

The event planner in the tent

Mandet came to the show from the events world; her employer, Bon Vivant Catering and Events, proudly announced her casting on its own blog before the season aired. Local coverage from the North Shore News dubbed her a "macaron maven," and CBC's winner feature carried her personal motto for surviving the tent and, apparently, event season: find joy in the chaos. She is the ninth champion in the complete list of Great Canadian Baking Show winners.

Where things stand now

Here is the honest part: Mandet won months ago, and champions this fresh have not had time to accumulate a second act. The public record so far shows the standard winner's lap, including CBC's finale coverage, local press in North Vancouver, and an appearance on the Baking Scraps podcast alongside fellow finalist Ryan Gridzak. She shares her baking on Instagram as joannemandet. Whether the title turns into a business, a book, or simply the world's most impressive line on an event planner's resume is not yet publicly documented.

What she has going for her is a skill set unusually suited to the moment. Event planners already run production schedules, client management, and high-pressure logistics, which is most of what a post-show baking career actually demands. Of all the recent winners, she may be the best equipped to turn the win into something, if she wants to.

The takeaway for fans

Season 9 is the show's current high-water mark for accessibility: the settled host and judge lineup, a strong field, and a finale with a showstopper worth the name. Watch it now, and check back on this post; Mandet's next chapter is still being written.