MasterChef Junior: Meet The 12 Finalists

3 10 2013

This Friday, Oct. 4 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX, the Top 12 junior home cooks on MASTERCHEF JUNIOR compete in the season’s first mystery box challenge and must create an impressive and delicious dish using only the mystery ingredients. Later, the judges – host and award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay, restaurateur Joe Bastianich and acclaimed chef Graham Elliot – task the kids to each create an elevated, restaurant-quality burger in only 60 minutes. At the end of the episode, 10 kids will advance to the next round of competition and move one step closer to being named America’s first-ever MASTERCHEF JUNIOR and win a $100,000 prize.

Meet the MASTERCHEF JUNIOR Top 12 and find out what their favorite foods are – and why:

Junior Chef: Alexander
Age: 13
Hometown: New York, NY
Favorite Food: “A good burger” Simple, but amazing when made to perfection!”

Alexander

Junior Chef: Dara
Age: 12
Hometown: Culver City, CA
Favorite Food: “Any type of meat, because it’s so versatile.”

Dara

Junior Chef: Gavin
Age: 10
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Favorite Food: “Fruit. You can do so many things with it. You can make a puree, a compote, have it by itself, or dry it. There are endless possibilities.”

A good burger” Simple, but amazing when made to perfection!”

Gavin

 

Junior Chef: Jack
Age: 10
Hometown: East Rockaway, NJ
Favorite Food: “Beef Wellington. It has everything that I love: prosciutto, beef and carbs.

Jack

 

Junior Chef: Jewels
Age: 12
Hometown: Manalapan, NJ
Favorite Food: “Cucumbers, hands down. I love the crispy and clean taste. Plus, they are very hydrating!”

Jewels

Junior Chef: Kaylen
Age: 11
Hometown: Culver City, CA
Favorite Food: “Sushi! It comes in so many flavors and styles.”

Kaylen

Junior Chef: Molly
Age: 12
Hometown: Pasadena, CA
Favorite Food: “Any type of dumpling! You get a lot of different flavors in every bite, and you can eat a lot of them!”

Molly

Junior Chef: Roen
Age: 12
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Favorite Food: “I love sushi so much because of how fresh and cool it is. For me, it’s a food that is great in any weather, cold or warm.”

Roen

Junior Chef: Sarah
Age: 9
Hometown: Culver City, CA
Favorite Food: “Sushi, or gummy worms. I would say gummy worms, but I would need something healthy, too….and I LOVE sushi!”

Sarah

Junior Chef: Sofia
Age: 12
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Favorite Food: “Sushi–because that one speaks for itself!”

Sofia

Junior Chef: Tommy
Age: 11
Hometown: Palos Verdes Estates, CA
Favorite Food: “I could eat Pasta Bolognese for the rest of my life!”

Tommy

Junior Chef: Troy
Age: 12
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, CA
Favorite Food: “Pasta is definitely my favorite food!”

Troy

MASTERCHEF JUNIOR is produced by Shine America and One Potato Two Potato, and is based on a format created by Franc Roddam and Shine. Shine International handles distribution for the MASTERCHEF format. Elisabeth Murdoch, Eden Gaha, Paul Franklin, Robin Ashbrook, Gordon Ramsay, Adeline Ramage Rooney, Patricia Llewellyn and Ben Adler serve as executive producers.

“Like” MASTERCHEF JUNIOR on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MasterChefJuniorFOX.

Follow the series on Twitter @MasterChefJrFOX and join the discussion at #masterchefjunior.