Junior Masterchef

Pierre

State: New South Wales

Age: 12

Specialty Dish: Herb Crusted Lamb Cutlets with Stuffed Mushrooms and Green Beans 

Least Favourite Food: Eggplant, zucchini and fennel 

Game Plan: “To keep focused and try my best.”

Pierre has always been the small kid at school, but he believes good things come in small packages – especially after being chosen to be in the Top 12 of Junior MasterChef. 

Watching his grandmother Josephine cook traditional Lebanese dishes from his high chair when he was little, Pierre soon discovered his love for food and began to help out in the kitchen.

Pierre loves cooking because it makes him happy and transports him into another world. His favourite judge is Matt because of his larger-than-life personality, and he’s inspired by MasterChef 2010 contestant Callum. 

When Pierre grows up he wants to be an engineer or open a theatre restaurant so his sisters and cousins can perform in it.

Siena 

State: Victoria

Age: 9

Specialty Dish:  Lemon Curd Tarts

Least Favourite Food: Anything green – especially brussel sprouts 

Game Plan: “Keep my bench tidy at all times, always read the recipe and, of course, taste the food to see if it’s good before plating up to the judges.”

Although Siena is the youngest competitor in Junior MasterChef she certainly is one of the toughest.

After her dad told her about the show, Siena decided to audition because she thought it would be really fun and a great experience to meet like-minded kids who enjoy cooking as much as she does.

Siena loves cooking so much that she invented a cooking club where she teaches all of her friends how to cook different recipes. 

Siena’s sweet tooth means her favourite dishes are desserts and to prove it – the first thing she ever cooked was muffins when she was just four-years-old. Siena says when she grows up, she wants to open her very own patisserie.

Nick

State: New South Wales

Age: 10

Specialty Dish: Steak with mashed potatoes, steamed carrots and beans 

Least Favourite Food: Brussel sprouts and capsicum

Game Plan: “Keep focused, keep trying, don’t give up and put up amazing food.”

Nick is a tap dancing chef who also loves to hip-hop. Nick started cooking from the tender age of seven when he was helping his dad in the kitchen and the next thing he knew he had taken over. He often cooks with his mum and sister where they each pick a course to cook and create a three-course meal for the family. 

His biggest cooking disaster was when he added too much flour to his puff pastry and it exploded in the oven.

Nick enjoys hosting dinner parties for his friends and his speciality is desserts and lamb. 

For his 10th birthday. Nick was lucky enough to go to his favourite chef, Matt Moran’s ARIA restaurant. 

Nick is writing a cookbook called ‘How do you like your Lamb’?.

Emily

State: South Australia

Age: 11

Specialty Dish: Rabbit and Venison Pie 

Least Favourite Food: Brussel sprouts 

Game Plan: “Just keep going and don’t ever give up.”

Emily is a true country girl who loves life on the farm. Being an excellent cook seems to run in the family – her grandma was a chef and her uncle used to cook for the Navy.

The first dish Emily ever cooked was fairy cupcakes when she was three. Since then, Emily loves experimenting with different types of ingredients like rabbit and venison. 

Emily is inspired to become a better chef and often refers to Donna Hay’s recipes for guidance. Her favourite MasterChef 2010 contestant is Callum because of the dishes he cooked on the show.

When she grows up, Emily wants to be a food stylist and have her dishes printed in magazines.

Jack

State: Tasmania

Age: 12

Specialty Dish:  Beef Bourguignon

Least Favourite Food: Lambs brains

Game Plan: “To try as hard as I can and cook food that I like to eat.”

Realising cooking was a great way to express himself creatively, Jack began cooking when he was nine-years-old and once made an impressive croquembouche for a friend’s dinner party which ended up collapsing in the car on the way there.

Jack was inspired to start cooking after watching the movie Julia and Julia and loves cooking because it means he can be creative, have fun and relax at the same time. Learning to cook from his mum with Julia Child’s cookbooks, Jacks admits his biggest challenge in the competition is getting the judges to like and appreciate his creative food style. 

Jack enjoys the challenge of cooking a complex dish and wants to be a chef who specialises in molecular gastronomy like his idol Heston Blumenthal.

Jack’s favourite judge is Anna, and in his spare time he plays several musical instruments including the bagpipes, double bass and trumpet.

Isabella

State: Queensland

Age: 12

Specialty Dish: Ricotta Gnocchi

Least Favourite Food: Meats like brains, stomach and tongue 

Game Plan:  “To try my best and to cook great dishes. As long as I do my best I will be happy.”

Wanting to show Australia how passionate she is about food and cooking, Isabella auditioned for Junior MasterChef and was absolutely delighted she and her twin sister Sofia got through to the Top 12. Isabella loves cooking Italian cuisine taught by her mum as well as cooking traditional Sicilian dishes she learnt from her nonna and auntie.

Cooking since the age of five, Isabella loves experimenting with different flavours and combinations and admits she now reads recipes more closely after a dessert dish she was making ended up a savoury dish.

 Isabella dreams of one day opening up her very own restaurant with her twin sister which has already been named Issofia. Isabella will be head chef and Sofia will be the manager – Isabella is so passionate about this dream that she has already started making up menus and business cards.

Anthony

State: New South Wales

Age: 10

Specialty Dish: Tiramisu

Least Favourite Food: Brussel sprouts and broccoli 

Game Plan: “I want to be nice and fair to all the contestants, experiment with different food and have fun.”

Anthony or ‘Little George’ as he’s fondly known by his family, is definitely one of the cheekiest competitors on Junior MasterChef. Just like his idol George Calombaris, Anthony comes from a Greek background and learnt to cook delicious Greek cuisines from his mum and grandma.

It was curiosity that led him to discover his cooking talents when he offered to help his grandma in the kitchen, and the next thing Anthony knew was he was knee-deep in Greek shortbread dough. Anthony also enjoys experimenting with European recipes, in particular, hearty Italian dishes.

Besides cooking, Anthony also loves playing soccer and if he doesn’t become a chef when he gets older, he wants to be an artist or cartoonist. 

He might be a master at cooking but according to his mum – Anthony’s cleaning skills need improving as she always has to drag him back into the kitchen to clean up the mess he makes.

Cassidy

State: Victoria

Age: 12

Specialty Dish: Chicken and Mushroom Risotto 

Least Favourite Food: Green things like apples, broccoli and peas 

Game Plan: “I’m planning to go in there, cook the best possible dishes I can and cook from the heart… and most importantly have fun.”

Cassidy auditioned for Junior MasterChef because she wanted to show the judges and Australia that kids can be great cooks too.

Cassidy’s first cooking lesson was from her mum and dad when she was just a baby in the bouncer, and she still remembers how her very first batch of honey biscuits tasted…delicious of course!

Her favourite judge is George, and Cassidy was very lucky to have met him on her 12th birthday when he gave her a copy of The Press Club Cookbook to keep.

Cassidy enjoys cooking with fresh produce and visits the markets regularly with her family to pick her ingredients. 

Apart from designing her own dishes, Cassidy is a mad Geelong football fan and plans on publishing her very own cookbook.

Alex

State: New South Wales

Age: 11

Specialty Dish:  Le Gout De La Mer (Seafood dish) 

Least Favourite Food: Capsicum and carrots 

Game Plan: “Concentrate and stay calm.”

When Alex moved to Australia from England three years ago he never dreamt of being on Junior MasterChef. Despite his British background, Alex has a real passion for cooking Aussie food and using Aussie ingredients – he even thinks Australian chefs are more adventurous then English chefs.

Alex loves cooking a variety of dishes but his most favourite is desserts. He admits Crème Brulee is the most difficult thing he has ever made and would love to work in television as a presenter or a chef when he grows up. 

Alex learnt most of his cooking skills from his mum and loves to cook for his friends and family because it makes him feel happy.

Alex’s cooking inspiration is Donna Hay, Jamie Oliver and Delia Smith.

It’s back to business as usual at Channel Ten, after the Commonwealth Games with some new shows retuning for new seasons.

Here’s the run down.

Season 2 of Modern Family will premiere at 7pm Sunday October 17, following a repeat at 6.30pm. The new season is amongst the highest ratings shows in the US at the moment.

The top 12 kids are back after school holidays to battle it out to see who will become Australia’s first Junior Masterchef ever. Junior Masterchef returns to Sundays at 7.30pm, from Sunday October 17, 2010.

Junior Masterchef expands to 3 nights a week, with another edition on Monday nights at 7.30 and a Masterclass on Friday nights at 7.30pm.

At 8.30 on Sunday Oct 17, Offspring continues after a one week break. Offspring is followed by the season 7 premiere of Medium at 9.30.

At 8.30 Monday Oct 18 is the premiere of Undercover Boss Australia. Good News Week follows at 9.30pm for a shorter one hour show.

Tuesday 7.30, Oct 19, and its time for Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation.

Then – finally – new NCIS is here! Sort of fast tracked from the US, and rating through the roof over there, new NCIS is back to its traditional Tuesday night timeslot to rate through the roof here. Should be an interesting battle now between Ten and Seven for the night. New NCIS is followed by NCIS:LA repeats – not sure why they wouldn’t show new episodes of that one either, seeing they are paired together in the US.

Wednesday 7.30 Oct 20 – and – those suffering Glee withdrawals, your wait is over! New Glee is back, after two weeks off (and even on Fox8 Glee had two weeks of for its run of season 1) with the 3^rd episode of season 2.

In a very interesting move, The Good Wife is coming back for its second season at 8.30pm Wednesdays from October 20. House moves back to 9.30pm.

The Thursday night line up, from October 21, is made up of new episodes of Bondi Vet, with new Keeping Up with the Joneses at 8pm and Rush at 8.30pm for a double. Burn Notice will return Thursday October 28, at 9.30pm

The double Rush could be to make up for lost time during the Commonwealth Games.

Friday nights, from Oct 22, after Junior Masterchef Masterclass remain with NCIS repeats at 8.30pm, Law and Order SVU at 9.30 and Go Girls at 10.30.

Including the week referred to above here, there are only six weeks left of the ratings season. NCIS, The Good Wife, Glee and House will all break for the summer non ratings period, while Rush, Offspring and Junior Masterchef should all have their season finales in the last week of November.