Crisis strikes on episode 4: Where’s the meat?
BY ANITA STIEFEL
ANITAS@
OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
OPELIKA — On this week’s episode of MasterChef Junior, Opelika’s 11-year-old Bryson McGlynn had a close call, but once again his skill on the grill reigned supreme.
For the second week in a row, the aspiring chefs participated in a team challenge. The young chefs traveled to the historic Magic Castle Hotel & Club in Hollywood, where they were tasked with preparing lunch for the luxury resort’s 60th anniversary celebration that would feed all of the magicians and staff from the Academy of Magical Arts. Grills and workstations were set up in the parking lot.
Bryson was assigned to the blue team, which chose a menu of grilled pork chops with citrus glaze, collard greens with bacon and sweet mashed potatoes topped with candied pecans. Bryson’s assignment was to grill the bone-in pork chops to perfection.
The opposing red team prepared filet mignon with red wine sauce, roasted carrots and mashed potatoes.
The judges looked on as Bryson, nicknamed Cheese Curd, began seasoning a large platter of pork chops.
“Look at Bryson,” world-renowned chef Gordon Ramsay said to the other judges. “This guy knows how to cook meat. That’s a big plus on the blue team.”
The judges offered advice to the children as they worked.
“So, I’m hoping (with) all that barbecue experience that you can absolutely own this today,” Ramsay said to Bryson.
“Yes, chef,” the Cheese Curd replied confidently.
As the clock ticked, Ramsay said to the other judges, “The blue team are doing a pork chop, they’re cooking them in a cast iron pan. But, more importantly, Bryson is in that zone. He knows how to cook a pork chop.”
Ramsay tasted the team’s sample dish, which was required at 30 minutes into the challenge.
“That’s cooked beautifully,” Ramsay said as he sliced into a pork chop, but then he pointed out to the blue team captain, 11-year-old Michael from New Smyrna, Florida, that the sweet potatoes were cold and needed to be served piping hot. “You’ve nailed the pork,” he said, adding, “The sauce needs to be relaxed down.”
The pressure was on not just to produce gourmet meals — the hardest part of the challenge was to feed a full dining room of nearly 40 people, which required careful timing of both cooking and serving. Dishes had to be plated, five at a time, for servers to deliver to each table in quick succession.
The red team faced the first catastrophe and was forced to send out five plates without carrots, which were not finished cooking in time.
Then Ramsay sliced open a pork chop at the blue team’s plating station, found it bright pink inside and said to Bryson, “It’s undercooked. If you continue sending me that, (you’re) going home. Get me five perfectly cooked pork chops in two minutes!”
“Yes, chef!” Bryson replied.
Ramsay shook the undercooked pork chop at Bryson. “That’s not good enough,” the famously temperamental chef said, then threw the meat across the parking lot. “No bit of magic that will bring that thing back!”
Then both teams faced calamity when a guest sent back both her plates because the steak and pork chop were both raw on the inside.
With one table of five remaining to serve, Bryson found himself short of pork chops because he discarded two for being too raw to serve, plus the one Ramsay launched in disgust. Thus, three dinner guests did not get to taste them and could not vote for the blue team as having the better dish.
“Yo, I’m sorry,” Bryson said to his teammates. “I’ve messed this team up. I completely messed this team up.”
As they tried to offer each other support, each member of the blue team was convinced he or she was going to be sent home from the show.
“I shouldn’t have messed up,” Bryson said. “I lost track of time, because I thought we had the pork chops down. We didn’t. It would have helped if I hadn’t thrown away those pork chops.”
But, in the end (and despite giving away three votes to the red team), the pork chop meal reigned superior with diners, and the blue team was victorious. Bryson credited the win to his team captain.
“It feels so good to win,” he said. “I’m so proud of my team and Michael, because if we didn’t have him, I don’t know what we would have done.”
The judges eliminated one member of the losing red team from the competition, leaving seven remaining contestants to vie for the coveted MasterChef Junior apron.
A preview of next week’s episode teases that the young chefs will have to not only work with their most hated ingredient, but also eat their dish — and it looks like lima beans just may get the better of Bryson.
The Observer will continue to provide a weekly recap of Bryson’s progress on the show, which airs Mondays at 7 p.m. on FOX network.
The Observer will provide a weekly recap of the show, which airs Mondays at 7 p.m. CT on FOX network.
MasterChef Junior contestants make special appearance
BY NICHOLAS YOUNG
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — The annual Watson Brothers Patio and Hearth tent sale featured two special guests who provided visitors with a tasty gift.
Opelika’s Bryson “Cheese Curd” McGlynn and Lydia Ledon from Atlanta, contestants on season 9 of Fox’s MasterChef Junior were on site and showcased their culinary skills that landed them on the show in the first place.
Fajitas were the dish for the day, and as the afternoon progressed the aroma of grilled steak filled the air. The food preparation was truly a team effort. Bryson and his father, Mike, prepared and cooked the steak while Lydia grilled vegetables. In seemingly no time at all, lunch was ready, and the two young chefs earned a well-deserved break.
During this downtime, the duo reflected on their time on MasterChef Junior. Bryson identified camaraderie amongst the other contestants as one of the highlights of his time on the show. “My favorite part was meeting everyone — we got really close.”
Being gifted with such culinary talent at a young age can make finding other children with similar interests a challenge at times. Both Bryson, now 12, and Lydia, 9, noted that being around chefs in the same age group made the experience more memorable.
“All of us have the same passion and that’s always really fun,” Bryson said.
The young chefs commended celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay for his role in mentoring them.
Bryson described Ramsay as “awesome and really passionate” and someone who helped them “persevere through anything.” Both noted that they noticed a true progression in their cooking technique throughout the show.
Lydia said, “I feel like it pushed me more in my cooking skills and I learned a bunch of things there — it was fun being there.”
Bryson said he believes that the presentation aspect of his cooking has improved.
“It’s definitely impacted my different styles of platings,” he said. “I used to throw large portions of meat on a plate and say it was done. Now I add different sides and extra things to make it look really nice.”
The two highlighted that the show taught them more than just how to sharpen their cooking skills. Bryson said he learned valuable life lessons such as responsibility, belief in himself and time management. Lydia said she learned a lot about cooking and “to push myself until I can’t — it was fun being there, it made me feel more confident.”
Cooking at the tent sale event signified giving back to the community. “We always love coming out here and helping out in any way we possibly can,” said Mike. He also spoke of what his son’s success so far has meant to him.
“I’m beyond proud, no matter what the outcome is,” he said. “The sky’s the limit. I think he’s already starting to surpass me and I’m proud of that.”
Mike credits his son’s ambition to learn as a primary factor in his accomplishments so far. He believes the future is bright “Whatever happens with the show happens, but this is just the start of it. [Bryson] loves what he’s doing.”