The Big Picture

Jessica and Lenore’s friendship and diverse baking skills led them to victory in
Crime Scene Kitchen
Season 3.
The pair from Canada studied previous seasons, had a solid strategy, and maintained consistency to succeed.
In an interview with Collider, the winners of
Crime Scene Kitchen
reveal how they impressed judges Curtis Stone and Yolanda Gampp, displayed camaraderie with competitors, and what they plan to do with their prize money.

Crime Scene Kitchen is that perfect show. It blends humor, mystery, competition, and baked goods! For Season 3, family and friends were split up to compete before they merged in the middle of the season. For two good friends from Kitchener, Ontario, coming into Crime Scene Kitchen having done homework from previous seasons and tapping into their talents was the recipe for success. Now, Jessica Harrison and Lenore Johnson are winners!

With a consistent run paired with one monumental bake, Lenore and Jessica brought the momentum they needed to win Season 3. But their time together on the show goes beyond their talent in the kitchen. What was on full display in their shop was the importance of friendship and simply having fun. With infectious personalities and the ability to bring complete joy into a room, Lenore and Jessica are not only the best of the best, they are the perfect representatives of this series and why we love it. Jessica and Lenore joined Collider as we discussed their experience, their beautiful bond as besties, and what they’ve learned from one another.

Jessica and Lenore Are the Perfect Pair
“I think the main reason why Jess and I don’t see each other as competition is… because we respect each other’s talents so much.”

COLLIDER: They solved it all with a victory. It’s Crime Scene Kitchen Season Three winners with Jessica and Lenore. Congratulations!

JESSICA AND LENORE: Thank you!

I like to describe Crime Scene Kitchen as an escape room with a culinary twist. What was it like engaging in this game and using your mental and kitchen skills all at once?

LENORE: Well, I love solving puzzles so that part of it was so much fun for me, and then getting to solve puzzles with my friend Jess, who also loves solving puzzles, was pretty fab.

JESSICA: I love crime in general. Not committing crime, but listening to crime podcasts, detective shows, and all that kind of thing. So having that component and cake, which are two of my biggest passions, and just slamming them into one, I can’t think of a more perfect show for us to be involved in.

Absolutely. So you’re besties, yet competitors in real life. How did you become such good friends?

LENORE: By not seeing each other as competitors.

JESSICA: Everyone says, “What’s it like having competing businesses?” I don’t view Lenore as a competitor. I view her as, obviously, a friend and a fellow baker. And a person that I can talk to about running a business, and someone who genuinely understands what it’s like. And both of what we do is very different. We both have very different strengths when it comes to the baking world. And I think that’s how we, and why, we work so well together, is because we brought two different styles of baking to this competition.

LENORE: I think the main reason why Jess and I don’t see each other as competition is not because we don’t value each other’s work. I think it’s because we respect each other’s talents so much. Jess is over there doing whatever she’s doing and she’s killing in the game. I love that for her, and I’m so proud of her. I’m excited for her. I feel like the same thing for her for me.

What makes you the perfect pair?

LENORE: Everywhere that I lack, Jess makes up.

JESS: Lenore is so strong with classical desserts and techniques and really the science and math behind every baked item. Anytime math was involved with the recipes, and we had to double it or triple it, or anything, I was like, ‘Lenore do this. I cannot math right now.’ When it came to really intense decor, that’s where my strengths and my education come into play. Having those two types of skills where I just knew that I could trust and knew that Lenore had her end of the deal, so I could just focus on mine. I didn’t feel like I had to babysit her or check in on her because I knew I had so much confidence in her strength and ability that I could just do my part and we put it all together.

LENORE: Same.

Related How ‘Crime Scene Kitchen’ Became One of the Most Intriguing Baking Shows Yet ‘Crime Scene Kitchen’ is very much in a league of its own thanks to a strong flavorful medley that will blindside you with unexpected twists.

I really love learning on this show. I didn’t know there was anything beyond just, you know, a cake or a cookie. The specificity of each item. So, if your bestie was a baked good, what would they be?

JESSICA: I love this question! Lenore would be very complex, in the sense that we have lots of layers. We have a crunchy layer. Something with really exotic fruit. And then just finished off with a beautiful chocolate. And just every component is strong in itself, but together, it’s just fascinating.

LENORE: I was going in the absolute opposite.

JESSICA: Which makes sense!

LENORE: Literally, I was gonna say that you’re like a meringue. Like a perfect meringue kiss. Very beautiful, very tall and perfect. Pretty. Good posture. Looks easy to make, but you don’t know until you’ve had a really good meringue, and then you’re chasing after that one. Crispy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside. Lots of different colors, if you want. Sprinkles, if you want. Depending on how you feel, like a little gold dust. That is how I’m seeing Jessica. Kind of like a crispy exterior, but very good soft and squishy interior.

I love that.

JESSICA: I absolutely love this question. I’m gonna live off this forever. I will absolutely be a meringue kiss. that is so perfect I cannot even

LENORE: Like a fluted meringue. Wow. Anyway!

Jessica and Lenore Studied ‘Crime Scene Kitchen’ Before Playing Themselves
“We stole a page out of Steph and Cherry’s attack plan, which was to divide the kitchen.”
Image via FOX

Let’s talk strategy. What was the strategy going into the crime scenes? Did it get easier as the season went on?

LENORE: No, it did not get easier. I think we got more experience being in the kitchen and maybe thinking in the way that the person who was making something in the crime scene would potentially think. But we watched both prior seasons alone, separately, and then together. The second time we watched it together, we were making notes seriously, and we stole a page out of Steph and Cherry’s attack plan, which was to divide the kitchen. So I had the left side of the kitchen: apron, oven, curb, mixer, stovetop, etc. Jess had the right side of the kitchen: bulletin board, answering machine, compost, dishwasher. I think it also had garbage. And then we would meet in the island. If we had any questions about anything, we would put on the island. That’s where we were going to end every time. That was our strategy. Other than that, it was to remember everything that you see, shut up about it, [and] write it down as soon as you get access to a pen and paper.

Is there a baked good you never want to see again?

JESSICA: Red wine poached pear tart. Probably happy to never see that one again. And never see a cream pop again.

LENORE: Both.

JESSICA: I’d be happy with that.

LENORE: Specifically key lime.

JESSICA: Key lime!

LENORE: Specifically key lime.

JESSICA: Those are probably two points where I was like, I can’t even with this show anymore.

I loved your little showmanship when you bring your baked goods over, and swing by your competitors. Listen, you knew you baked something brilliant! You just needed to show it off. But you did it with respect. What was the camaraderie like with the other teams?

LENORE: I wish so desperately that we got to spend more time getting to know them because getting to watch the other teams’ personalities in their kitchens, just like everyone else, oh my gosh, they seem like such cool people. And we did have a fair amount of camaraderie with the later remaining friends teams just because we’ve been with each other more than anyone else. Jesse and Justin and Keiron and Janusz, are just such gems. They’re genuinely all four of them, such great guys, they really are. We loved getting to know them and spend time with them. I think that overall, we all know that what we just did in the kitchen was not easy, so we had great respect for each other. Oh, I’ll never forget it when Nikki and Brando brought up their Charlotte Russe. Brando was carrying it out, and we’re like, ‘Oh, they didn’t finish.’ If Brendo just did the slightest jiggle, and we all saw the moose wobble, and we’re like, ‘Oh my gosh!’

JESSICA: Each time you saw the devastation on our faces, that was all very genuine. That wasn’t the show. That wasn’t anything because we were connecting. Yeah, we may have just met these people, but we understand what it feels like. We understand what they’re going through, and we really connected. And anytime anybody left the show, it was really hard to see people that we were starting to care for having to leave.

Did you see the other teams as threats, or were you just in your lane the entire time?

LENORE: Very much, tried to have blinders on the entire time, because, at the end of the day, somebody could have made the exact same thing. If we were both wrong, and it wasn’t what was made in the crime scene kitchen. It’s us and the crime scene kitchen every time.

JESSICA: The crime scene kitchen was our big competitor. That was the only competition that we that we really saw and felt like was a threat. And everyone was like really nice. This was like an amazing group of people that they gathered to be on this show. There was nobody that was like, wow, they’re they’re little too much. Everyone was so nice and really cared about their craft, and each other. It was really lovely to see. And we still talk now.

Related ‘Crime Scene Kitchen’ Season 3 Review: Joel McHale Competition Series Serves Up a Delicious Detective Game With high drama and even higher layers, ‘Crime Scene Kitchen’ continues to surprise.

Do They Stand by the Butt Print?
“Did you see the close-up? It. Looked. Like. A. Butt.”

Crime Scene Kitchen has a fantastic judging panel with Curtis Stone, Yolanda Gampp. Who were you most nervous about getting your critique from? And who did you want to impress the most?

JESSICA: I’ll go first. I think everybody already knows that my obsession with Yolanda Gampp is really quite big. When I started doing cakes just at home, I was watching her on her YouTube channel and seeing how excited and how fun she made making cakes look. She would stack a pie with cake and then candies and chocolate. And I’m like, ‘This is amazing.’ And she was honestly a fellow Canadian as well. Such a lovely person. So to meet somebody that I felt I saw as an idol, I have to impress her. I want her to like me, you know? because I’ve been liking her forever, and just to show her the things that you have taught, and these skills that I have are because of you.

LENORE: For me, the only other time I’ve been involved in a baking competition, I was the judge. As long as I don’t embarrass myself and I don’t serve something that is truly horrific, [and] inedible, I will be happy. As long as we’re like, “Yeah, you can eat it.” Great! Thank you so much, I appreciate it. We’ll see you later.

What’s the best piece of advice you got from the judges?

JESSICA: The best piece of advice I think we got was Curtis mentioning at one point, if you have time make multiples. We had kind of already been doing it. We were very quick to have to re-bake something. But every single bake that we made, we always made extras. We didn’t even question it. We’re going to incorporate this into the recipe to make sure that we have backups. I think that was probably the best piece of advice, just to also feel a little bit more secure on our end that if something burns or something doesn’t quite turn out, it’s okay. We have more. We can just do it again.

Let’s talk about the brilliant, hilarious, and often distracting Joel McHale. What was it like having his energy in the room as the host?

LENORE: You know, I loved having Joely in the kitchen. I truly didn’t really know what to expect. He plays really douchey characters, I think I can say that, on TV. And sometimes it’s really hard to not conflate. The one benefit is that there is a podcast that I happen to listen to, and Joel had an episode and I listened to it a while ago. But he seemed so genuine and down to earth. And then meeting him in person, that was the version of Joel McHale that we got to see. Very genuine and down to earth. Very funny, which we all knew, because he’s a comedy actor. But in a relatable, funny way. Not like, “I’m funny. You don’t get to be funny. Don’t make any jokes. That’s my job.” He’s not like that at all. Loved having his energy in the kitchen. It’s just a ball of laughs, really.

Consistency was the name of your game. You finally got your big win in the penultimate episode with a near-perfect comic book cake. It looked sensational. Why do you think having the momentum going into the final episode was best for your journey?

LENORE: Oh, man. By that time, we just needed a break!

JESSICA: Not winning any single safety, and we’re just people bringing it up. Like the producers being like, “You haven’t won a single safety and even the other contestants all have a safety under their belt.

LENORE: At least one.

JESSICA: And then them being like, ‘Did you hear about Jessica and Lenore? Oh, they’re not getting anything. So kind of already been feeling a little down about that, because there’s a major thing with safety, because it proves, “Hey, you’re good, you know what you’re doing.” And as much as we were queens of the elimination bake, I feel at this point, it was just so nice to have such an on-point bake that was brought up multiple times about how well we did on the show was just so fantastic. Even if we didn’t win another single safety, just that bake alone so great.

Can we talk about the butt print? Do we still think it looks like a butt print?

LENORE: Yes! Did you see the close-up? It. Looked. Like. A. Butt.

JESSICA: But the thing is, whether nobody else saw, but we saw but, and it led us to the vertical Swiss roll cake. So for that, it’s a butt. People are going off online. “Butt what do you mean?” You didn’t see it? We were there! Especially when it had glass dome. You really couldn’t get super close to it. And they did that on purpose. So all we could see were these lines, and we both look at it at the same time. We’re like, it’s a butt.

The judges were so pressed. They’re like, what a butt, really?

JESSICA: Yeah! Curtis was like, “That’s weird wording for that.”

LENORE: It worked.

JESSICA: It led us in the right direction.

If there is one crime scene bake that you would introduce into your own bakeries, what would it be?

JESSICA: Well, the comic book cake is already something that I do pretty much all the time, but definitely the Charlotte Russe. It was such a delicious cake. If I were to ever bring another type of style of cake into my shop, it would be like that. Something light and delicious. That was one of our most successful bakes on the show. I would make that all day, every day.

LENORE: Yeah, we actually made Charlotte Russe in our shop for Mother’s Day. It was really fun to do it and like, nobody know why, except for the other folks on Crime Scene Kitchen, who were just like that, “Is that a Charlotte Russe?” Yes, it is! [Otherwise], man, I don’t know. We already made little branchy tarts, which is fun. We still won’t poach any pears in red wine, though. I would love to do the vertical chiffon roll. I think people are just so impressed by it. It’d be really fun to see what that would look like just have somebody cut into what looks like a normal cake and be like, “Oh my gosh!”

What Will Jessica and Lenore Do With Their Grand Prize?
“For me, it is a small step forward in securing some property.”
Image via FOX

Here’s the big money question: what are you going to do with the grand prize?

JESSICA: So for me, my husband and I have been living in an older house for a very long time, and we have not had the funds to renovate. We’re finally going to make our house a home and use some of that money to renovate. As well, I want to use a lot of money to help my husband with his dreams and aspirations of running his own business, which he’s had to put on hold because of my business and my dreams. Which he’s really been focusing on me. It’s nice to have this money, so we can do that.

LENORE: For me, it is a small step forward in securing some property. Prices are coming down. Probably not enough, but they’re coming down. So yeah, property either here in Canada or somewhere else, but that’s the goal.

What’s one thing you learned about your partner that you’re going to take away and implement in your life now?

LENORE: And I learned about my partner that we’re going to take away and implement in our life now? Well?

JESSICA: Don’t let that inner voice take over. There would be times where that inner voice inside, I would just be like, “I don’t know if I’m doing this right or hot.” Then I’ll be like, “Stop. Don’t let that take over.” Just put it away. You’re doing great. Those kind of things would really deter me. It would distract me from staying confident; having Lenore in the kitchen with me is something I’m not blessed with every day and what helped me to be really successful. So just keeping that energy and not letting that inner voice get me.

LENORE: For me, it would be Jessica’s ability to be committed to a hunch. Even if she’s not 100% sure. As soon as Jess got over that insecurity of being like, “No, no, I’m not sure, I’m not going to say anything.” If she got a hunch? Dog with a bone. She was like, “Nah, it has to be. It has to be this, or it’s close to this.” I love that. Even if I am not 100% right, I’m going to have to run with it. It would do it to the best of my ability. Give it 100%, and even if it’s not perfect, at the end of the day, my commitment folks will see that and value that commitment alone. I can be I can be a lot more like Jess.

I love that. Well, my final question is, plug away. Where can we come and taste your amazing treats in person?

LENORE: Well, I guess you’ll have to come to Kitchener-Waterloo!

JESSICA: Canada is just a short flight from wherever you are, probably. But yeah, we are in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, where we have our businesses. Literally, when we said it on the show, it’s very true, just down the street from each other. So you can visit us both very quickly.

LENORE: You can also hear us on our podcast. It was something that we dreamt about a year before we got on the show, and we’ve been actioning it slowly, slowly. And this kind of just really ramped it up for us. But we have a podcast called Bakes in a Box where we talk about baking, business, and being functional adults even when we don’t want to.

Well, congratulations on your victory. It was such a fun season, and you two have such amazing chemistry. Thank you for bringing so much joy to the screen.

LENORE: Oh, Michael, you’re so kind. Thank you.

All episodes of Crime Scene Kitchen are available to stream on Hulu. Stream on Hulu

In a unique cooking competition, teams of bakers must piece together clues left in a kitchen to identify and recreate a mystery dessert. Each episode presents the contestants with a series of challenges, where they inspect ingredient remnants and cooking utensils to infer the recipe. The recreated desserts are then judged based on their similarity to the original. The show combines elements of detective work with baking expertise, as teams are progressively eliminated until one remains as the champion.Release Date May 26, 2021 IMDb ID tt14409846 TMDB User Rating 7 .417 Seasons 2 Expand