San Ramon Teen Competes On Masterchef Junior

SAN RAMON, CA — Abir Bhatia was first drawn to cooking at a young age before many people even think about cooking for themselves. The 13-year-old boy says vibrant ingredients he saw in stores caught his eye and he had a hankering for more.

"Colors drew me into the kitchen. I wanted to learn as much as I could," he said.

So he started making himself breakfast and cooking dinner for his family. Asking questions has gotten him to where he is today, a contestant on Masterchef Junior, a cooking competition for young chefs around the country.

"I watched the show and wanted to know how I could audition. So, I did some research and all of a sudden I was in Los Angeles auditioning in front of Gordon Ramsay," he said.

Abir clearly nailed that audition because he was selected to put on the white apron and join the cast of 16 young cooks competing to be named Masterchef Junior.

The show started filming in 2019 and has already wrapped up. Of course, Abir already knows the outcome but his friends, family and community have to watch and see what happens.

"Being on this show has been the most amazing experience," he said. "I will say, this next episode is a really fun one."

Abir told Patch he specializes in Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern cuisine. Since filming the show, he has applied for a license to sell his homemade brownies and cookies at the local farmers market and is trying to get a baking business up and running. Most recently, he has teamed up with his friends to find ways to send items to people in need in Ukraine.

Being on the show gave him real-world experience but Abir says he has more to offer than cooking.

"I am now a lot more involved in my community. I try my best to put it all out in the world," he said.

Masterchef Junior premiered March 17. Watch Abir compete Thursday on Fox at 8:00 p.m. PDT.