All the key ingredients
Rhode Island girl, 11, giving it her best shot on cooking show ‘MasterChef Junior’
PAWTUCKET — Eleven-year-old Jaala Smith says one of her favorite shows to watch is “MasterChef Junior,” a televised cooking competition during which children are judged based on the meals they are able to whip up in front of a panel of judges.
An aspiring chef, Jaala would intently watch the program alongside her parents, but starting on Tuesday night, when she tunes her television to FOX, the face staring back at her on the screen will be her own.
That’s because Jaala, a sixth-grader at Samuel
Slater Middle School, is one of 24 children from around the country who’ll be appearing on the upcoming season of “MasterChef Junior.”
“MasterChef Junior” gives kids between the ages of 8 and 13 the chance to showcase their culinary abilities and passion for food through a series of fun, mouth-watering challenges.
Hosted by chef Gordon
Ramsay and pastry chef Christina Tosi, the duo will be joined on the judges’ panel by chef and restaurateur Aaron Sanchez. The trio of culinary experts will determine which youth will be named America’s next MasterChef, with the winner taking home a trophy and $100,000 in prize money.
“It was more than what I expected, I expected the kitchen on TV to be a normal kitchen, but when I went in there I thought I was dreaming, it was so amazing.” —Jaala Smith, above, who earned a spot on the cooking show ‘MasterChef Junior’
Appearing on “MasterChef Junior” is the culmination of Jaala’s culinary acumen. She’s been a whiz in the kitchen since she was a kindergartner, saying she started by making breakfast foods – particularly eggs – before venturing into dinner cuisine such as pasta and vegetables. She attributes her knowledge of the kitchen to her parents, saying her mother taught her about baking and her father has educated her in meats and spices.
She says her favorite meal to prepare for family and friends is chicken and waffles, saying it’s a dish that allows its creator to be unique as hers is prepared in a “Mexican style.” But her signature dish is pasta with mushrooms and a homemade Alfredo sauce, saying: “Every time I made it, everyone loved it.”
“I like to see everyone enjoy it,” Jaala said of her favorite foods. “Making it, I feel like there’s nothing really that hard, everything is pretty easy to make. I feel like if you try your hardest, you can achieve everything.”
The ability to achieve anything will be seen when televisions across Pawtucket tune to FOX at 8 p.m. next Tuesday. Jaala said she applied to be on “MasterChef Junior” last year and auditioned and interviewed in New York. About this time last year, she found out that she would be taking her first-ever flight to go west to California as one of the 24 youths on the seventh season.
“I was jumping up and down, I was so excited,” she said of her reaction to finding out she’d be on the show. “It was one of my favorite shows to watch … I was so excited, especially because California’s super different.”
Jaala has been keeping secret the result of the show, ensuring she doesn’t spoil anything before the series airs starting next Tuesday. But she did offer some insight as to what the experience is like once you’re in front of the camera.
“It was more than what I expected, I expected the kitchen on TV to be a normal kitchen, but when I went in there I thought I was dreaming, it was so amazing … It was so much light, so sparkly and nice,” she said.
Jaala also described host and judge Gordon Ramsay – known for his hot temper and caustic comments on reality television shows – as “honest.”
“He’ll give criticism and he’s honest. He does tell the truth, we all know it can be sometimes a bit rude but that’s just him being honest and that’s reality,” she said. “It’s really nice. He’s not really as mean in person.”
“MasterChef Junior” premieres on Tuesday, March 12, at 8 p.m. on your local FOX affiliate.