Jeff Chudakoff will work his culinary magic as a contestant on “Next Level Baker.” (photo courtesy of Fox)

West Hollywood resident Jeff Chudakoff is competing on the Fox Network’s “Next Level Baker,” starting on Dec. 4 at 9 p.m. Hosted by Gordon Ramsay and featuring Carla Hall and Candace Nelson, the series features a holiday theme, where the culinary contestants craft festive treats in a magical winter wonderland.

For Chudakoff, who only began his baking journey five years ago, it is a true dream-come-true.

“It’s been a retreat for me,” he said. “It’s something that I’ve done as more of a creative outlet, which I never felt like I had a creative outlet growing up. I was a math and science student … I dove in head first.”

By day, Chudakoff, who lives just around the corner from West Hollywood’s Melrose Place and its famed Sunday farmers market, is a Wall Street analyst. What began as a weekend and work-reprieve hobby eventually led to a social media page. While he only has a modest Instagram following, Chudakoff was noticed by the series’ producers.

“Over the summer, I got a DM, and the DM basically said, ‘Hey, we saw some of what you’ve been posting, and we think it’s pretty interesting.’ And ‘Would you be interested in applying?’ And I didn’t think it was a real possibility that they would pick me to actually be a contestant.”

But he applied, and after a few interviews, Chudakoff was chosen.

“It just kind of landed in my lap,” he said. “Because they reached out to me. I didn’t know that I was even allowed to apply to be a contestant on the show … but I have watched baking competition shows in the past, so it definitely caught my eye.”

Working with such high-profile names in the world of baking, too, was intimidating for Chudakoff at first.

“They all are heavyweights in baking, and they know exactly how it’s supposed to be when you put something in front of them,” he said. “So, for someone like me who’s baking more usually for someone’s birthday or friends or family – I have an easy crowd … They’re usually hoping it’s really good and ready to give me positive feedback, even if it’s not. And so definitely intimidating … I think I had to rely a lot on knowing that I know how to do it, believing in myself, and believing that they wouldn’t have picked me if they didn’t think I was capable of succeeding.”

The series was filmed over 10 days in Ireland, although Chudakoff is tight-lipped on just how long he survives on the series, which eliminates contestants each week.

“I think of some of the other competition baking shows that may require you to be away for a month or more. And so, it worked out really well for someone like me … I had to take time off and take vacation days to go and do this,” he said.

With the exposure provided by the series, however, Chudakoff is open to whatever the future may hold.

“I think I always had a hope that I could retire to opening a bakery for myself one day. Something I could share with my family that would be done more out of joy than out of the business side,” he said. “I think that’s still probably my core motivation in pursuing baking further. I also think I’ve found more and more joy out of the food photography [and] the recipe development. I’m trying to learn more of the videography aspect in today’s social media, so I’m trying to lean more into that, too, now because I think of baking as something that I’ve done to share and to connect with people.”

Los Angeles residents can find the series on KTTV Fox 11 at on Dec. 4 at 9 p.m., and it will stream the following day on Hulu.