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Hey Westchester! There’s a budding, new culinary star…or three… in town! Westchester’s foodies and fans of cooking shows are cheering on the pint-sized county chefs who clinched a spot on season 8 of MASTERCHEF JUNIOR on FOX.
Three young wannabe chefs from Westchester are among the 16 kid contestants from the across the country who made it into the eighth season of the wildly popular, highly fascinating, so.much.fun.to.watch MASTERCHEF JUNIOR show on FOX, and we couldn’t be prouder!
These super-talented home chefs are between the ages of 8 and 13, and each one is given a coveted white apron and the chance to showcase their culinary abilities and passion for food through a series of tricky, drool-worthy challenges.
Although sweet Jillian Maher of Yonkers was just eliminated from the competition, we’re sure Westchester hasn’t seen the last of her! We have a feeling she’ll make her dream to write a kid’s cookbook of healthy and tasty recipes a reality, and we’re simply drooling while dreaming about her signature dish of grilled shrimp with lemongrass tomato sauce over pasta.
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Still holding tough in the kitchen heat are Liya Chu of Scarsdale and Maclain Rockett of South Salem.
Liya hopes to open a restaurant that serves hibachi and sushi someday, and it’s a safe bet her signature dish of pork dumpling with spicy garlic sauce will find a spot on the menu.
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As for the fedora-donning Maclain, who wants to own a patisserie somewhere in the Northeast when he grows up, we sure hope his signature dish of linguini carbonara in a light cream and egg sauce with bacon will elbow its way into his proposed sweet treat lineup.
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Judges and mentors on the show include world-renowned chefs Gordon Ramsay and Aarón Sánchez, along with wellness advocate and author, Daphne Oz.
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These three culinary heavyweights will determine which kid cook will be named America’s next MASTERCHEF JUNIOR and take home a trophy and $100,000 in prize money.
Said to be one of the toughest seasons yet, the show will feature a bounty of unique and most likely messy challenges for the judges and chef-testants, including competing to see how they size up to monster trucks at a motocross track; welcoming Gordon’s daughter, Tilly Ramsay, to the kitchen for a donut challenge; and participating in a WWE-themed episode.
Break an egg, kiddos!
Related: Junior Golf Thrives on Westchester County’s Courses
