INTERVIEW: ‘MasterChef Junior’ brings the competition to NJ
Photo: MasterChef Junior Live! features local New Jersey chef Matthew Smith. Photo courtesy of the State Theatre / Provided by official website.
When audience members catch the upcoming performance of MasterChef Junior Live! at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey, they will have the chance to see the culinary skills of a local Garden State resident. Matthew Smith, from New Jersey, competed on the hit reality show’s seventh season, and he is scheduled to be part of the State Theatre’s program as well.
At the live version, which comes to town on Sunday, March 8, fans will have the chance to witness a live cooking competition, in which Smith will square off against other child competitors from the TV program. There will also be a Q&A session and meet-and-greet available.
For Smith, his connection to the MasterChef franchise has been a dream come true.
“I got into cooking since I was very young because when MasterChef Junior premiered in season one I totally got inspired by the show, so that’s when I really got into cooking,” the elementary school chef said in a recent phone interview. “And then when I really started cooking without toys and pretend, I was about 6 or 7. … I was like a diehard MasterChef Junior fan because everybody looked like they were having such a great time, and everybody was just so inspiring and so amazing.”
When Smith signed up for the show’s seventh season, he wasn’t too nervous about the cutthroat competition. He tried to keep his mind focused on other matters.
“What I like to say is that there’s so many things to be nervous about in life, whether you’re taking a big test or your first day on a new job,” he said. “You have to make life fun because you only live once, and you always have to live your best life. So I wasn’t too nervous. I looked at it as an opportunity to live my dream and just live my life and have a great time. … We all looked at each other as friends. At the end of the day, it might be a competition, but we’re only competitors once. But we’re always going to be friends forever because we’re always so supportive, and they’re just really nice people. And we just had such a good bond, so we always want to support each other.”
When Smith cooks, he likes to pull ingredients that are in bloom during that particular season, whether winter, spring, summer or fall. So, for example, right now he loves to make a pan-seared filet mignon topped with warm tomato salsa, and rainbow chard stems and leaves.
“It’s very healthy, very simple,” Smith said. “You can have a lot of it knowing you’re eating in season, and you’re also eating very healthy. … It did definitely takes me some practice by looking at what things are in flavor and even taking inspiration from some of my fellow competitors.”
Smith promised that the live version of MasterChef Junior will have the same type of competition as the TV show. There will be one winner crowned at the end, and there’s even a chance for an audience member to go on stage and show off their cooking skills. He also said some of the challenges will get “really messy.”
“I love meeting other kids who are interested in cooking because I think it’s such a good skill to have, and it’s always cool when you find someone who has the same likes as you because you can really make a big friendship off of that,” he said. “For me, a lot of people who inspire me are everyday people. I remember when I was really little, there were these fifth-grade kids who, when I was really lonely, they would play with me. And that really made my day, so now that I’m about their age, I like to make sure that other kids have somebody to play with.”
Smith is determined to take this youthful passion and make it a lifelong profession. One day he envisions himself developing an entire health center that will showcase his skills and ambitions.
“When I grow up, I would like to have a health center that includes a farm-to-table restaurant, a dermatology clinic and a salon because I think it’s great for people to love their skin,” Smith said. “And also I want to teach people how to farm for themselves, like in the old days, so they don’t eat as many preservatives, and they also help save people from using too many preservatives. And they also learn how to have a fresh, healthy and great lifestyle.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
MasterChef Junior Live!, featuring Matthew Smith, will play Sunday, March 8 at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Click here for more information and tickets.
