In the “Baking Championship”, Miguel-Angel Fernandez (44) has delivered tall cakes, tasty cupcakes and traditional pastries. The list of what Miguel has achieved is long – an achievement that probably surprised even him.
– A shock
A few years ago, not many people, or Miguel himself, believed that he would end up as a baker in prime time on NRK.
However, there was no victory for Miguel, who had to leave the competition in Saturday’s episode.
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– I started baking during corona. So I am very much self-taught, and suddenly I entered the “Baking Championship”. It has been a lot of fun to show off what I can do.
HAPPY: Miguel is very happy with his efforts. Photo: Anders Myhr Nielsen / NRK
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Moved to Norway
Miguel came to Norway as a six-year-old, after being born in Santiago, Chile. He tells of a childhood with a father he never got to meet, but with a mother who has done everything, and more, for her son.
– She is one of the shortest women I know, but she is my wonderful, greatest superhero.
– Wanted to cling to me
It has been 38 years since Miguel and his mother left the dictatorship in Chile to build a better life in Norway. His aunt had already come to Norway as a political refugee a few years earlier, and the election therefore fell on Høybråten in Oslo.
DUO: Miguel and his mother moved together from Chile to Norway. Photo: Private
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It would be ten years before Miguel returned to the country of his birth, where he received several surprises during his visit.
Had consequences
Today, Miguel feels a strong affinity for both Chile and Norway, and greatly appreciates the influences he has from the various countries.
However, he did not do that in his youth.
– When I came to Norway, I felt very strongly that I was Chilean and I should always be. So when my mother asked if, after seven years in Norway, I wanted to get a Norwegian passport, I didn’t want it.
– I’m terrified
This would prove to have consequences for 16-year-old Miguel, who went back to Chile alone to visit family. The visit was registered as Miguel having moved back.
– Then I was “back at home”, so then I had to join the military. The military?! I went to the drama line in Oslo, says Miguel with a laugh.
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It triggered a big process where his mother finally got permission from the Chilean embassy to let him travel back to Norway. At the airport, however, it stopped.
That’s why he got the passport
– At the airport in Santiago I was stopped by guards with machine guns who sternly said “come with us”. Because even though the papers were in order, I had not received permission from my father to leave the country.
GOOD RELATIONSHIP: Miguel describes his mother as his superhero. Photo: Private
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As mentioned, Miguel has never met his biological father, which then made the situation difficult. But after another long process, he was finally allowed to board the plane in the direction of Norway.
The incident in Chile did not, however, make a Norwegian passport tempting.
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It was only after he once again got into passport trouble during a class trip to London that Miguel allowed himself to get a Norwegian passport.
– It was really just nonsense. I know who I am and where I come from. Now I have a Norwegian passport, and I am eternally grateful for Norway and the family I have created here.
– I have Norway in my heart, but Chile in my soul.
