Mackenzie Patton, an eleven-year-old chef from Santa Clarita, recently competed on the televised cooking show, Masterchef Junior hosted by Chef Gordon Ramsay, premiering Friday, Mar. 2 on the Fox network.

When Patton began cooking nearly five years ago, her family had never imagined that within a short time that she would be showcasing her skill on national television.

But, by the end of this week, the 11-year-old chef will be seen by the whole country as she competes in Fox’s MasterChef Junior — a cooking reality show starring the chefs Gordon Ramsay and  Christina Tosi in which the two culinary celebrities challenge and critique young aspiring chefs.

Junior chefs between the ages 8-13, participate in a heated head-to-head competition against other young chefs while also being put to the test by Chef Ramsay.

Patton, who started her culinary career with eggs when she was 6-years-old, recently did an on-air interview with KHTS’s Kyle Jellings. During the interview, she shared her favorite recipes along with her experiences on Masterchef Junior.

“I’ve been cooking for at least five years, and the first thing I’ve ever made is eggs and cook breakfast” said Patton. “For eggs I add a pinch of sugar to give it flavor and I whip them with chopsticks to make them fluffy.”

After cooking for five years now, Patton said that her love for food can be attributed to her father,  who had a big impact on her feeling at home in the kitchen.

“One day he was cooking ribs or steak (and) it was just so fascinating to me” said Patton. ”I asked him if I can help him cook and he said: ‘Yeah.’ After that day I loved to cook.”

Patton was inspired to submit her name and compete in MasterChef JUNIOR after watching numerous seasons of the popular Fox show.

If successful on the show and winning the approval of Gordon Ramsey, Patton could take home a trophy and $100k grand prize.

This season of MasterChef JUNIOR is set to air on Friday, Mar. 2, 8/7pm central on the Fox network.

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