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The first time we meet Nadiya Hussain in the “Great British Baking Show” tent, she’s trying to convince the judges that making a cake with green cardamom is a good idea. “Is that the only flavor?” Mary Berry asks, delicately but with enough of a point to convey her skepticism. Paul Hollywood, blunt as always, raises his eyebrows and informs her that the “interesting” choice of cardamom “could be fantastic, or it could be disastrous.” Such intrigued but ultimately wary questions about “exotic” flavors, familiar to most any person of color who’s competed on the show over the years, followed Hussain throughout the season — which she eventually won, with a final “Big Fat British Wedding Cake” showstopper draped in marshmallow fondant and custom sari. (And for the record: Berry and Hollywood ended up loving that first “very clever” cardamom cake.)

Six years later, Hussain is a beloved baking personality unto herself.