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Who inspired you to get in the kitchen?
My dad.
What do you love about cooking?
I like how creative you can be in the plating because it’s almost like art in a way. You can make a really pretty plate.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine to cook?
I really like making Asian food because it’s really good and tasty.
What advice do you have for other kids who want to start cooking?
Just follow your dreams, keep trying, and don’t give up.
Where is your favorite place to eat in the city?
I really like this place called Vanessa’s. It’s a Chinese spot that has dumplings.
Who’s your favorite chef?
My favorite chef is Gordon Ramsay or Jamie Oliver because they’re British and they make really cool cuisine. Jamie Oliver cooks more rustic and Gordon cooks more gourmet.
What is your idea of the perfect meal?
I think the perfect meal is something like a giant buffet with all these different types of cuisines with perfect tastes. And then afterward you get a giant bucket load of candy.
Were you nervous to meet Gordon Ramsay?
Not really. I always knew he was a big old softy.
What is the best piece of advice you got from the judges on the show?
The best piece of advice they gave me was Graham Elliot showed me a different way to test if chicken is done cooking or not.
Why did you want to be on MasterChef Junior?
I remember I’d seen the other kids going on the show and I was a little jealous in a way. So my dad found the audition and I auditioned and got on. And it was really exciting.
What was the best part of being on MasterChef Junior?
I liked every part of the competition. We got to meet a lot of people, make new friends, and got to meet the judges which was really fun. And I’m still in contact with a lot of the other kids.
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Meet MasterChef Junior Kaitlyn
Age: 11
Hometown: Yorktown Heights, NY
Signature Dish: Steak with potatoes, molasses sauce, and kimchee
How old were you when you first started cooking?
I would say I was about 5 or 6 years old. I helped my mom make mashed potatoes and I helped my grandpa make apple pie for Thanksgiving.
Who inspired you to get in the kitchen?
It would probably have to be my nana, my grandmother. I feel like I base my entire cooking style off her because she always cooks for us when we visit her or when she visits us. We have very similar cooking styles, like we both like to cook traditional dishes but with our own little twist.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine to cook?
My favorite type of cuisine to cook definitely has to be Korean fusion. There’s this burger that I make that’s a ground sirloin and rib eye burger and it has Brussels sprout kimchee. It’s like an American burger, but it’s a Korean version of a burger.
How do you balance school, seeing friends, after-school activities, and cooking?
Well I try to keep my priorities. Now my one priority is school, so if I get all my schoolwork done, I’ll think about what I’ve done in the past few days. I usually try and cook, but sometimes if I need a little break, I’ll hang out with my friends or go to the gym and do some laps in the pool.
Besides cooking, what are your favorite activities or hobbies?
Other than cooking, you could probably say I’m pretty athletic. I play travel soccer, I’m on a swim team, and just a couple of days ago I tried volleyball and I really enjoyed it, so I’m trying out for a team for this season.
What advice do you have for other kids who want to start cooking?
I think my advice would be to just believe in yourself and try new things because you learn more from your failures than from your success. So if at first you don’t succeed, try again.
Who’s your favorite chef?
My favorite chef of all time, I have three: Alton Brown, Guy Fieri, or Gordon Ramsay.
Were you nervous to meet Gordon Ramsay?
I was really nervous to meet him because I was afraid he would yell at me and curse at me. He was nothing like he looks on TV. He was super sweet, and I think he’s a little more patient with the kids than he is with the adults.
What is the best piece of advice you got from the judges on the show?
I already knew this, but they really emphasized trying your food because if you don’t try your food, you can’t guess what it will taste like. It falls into the category about seasoning and they taught us a lot about that and really emphasized both of those points.
Why did you want to be on MasterChef Junior?
I really wanted to audition for MasterChef Junior because I thought it looked like the coolest thing ever. It looked like so much fun. They had to do all these crazy challenges, and I really wanted to try the experience for myself.
What was the best part of being on MasterChef Junior?
The best part was meeting all the junior chefs from all over the country because we all learned a lot from each other, and we keep in touch almost daily. Even though it was a competition, we were all kind of rooting for each other and hoping that everyone would win.
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Main photo: The 24 contenders on MasterChef Junior Season 4 meet the judges Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot, and Christina Tosi.
All photos by Greg Gayne / FOX. © 2015 Fox Broadcasting Co.
