The Beginning - From Memphis to Hollywood : MasterChef Junior Season 2

Walking in Memphis on a kid's food journey!

You may know I am on the cast of MCJ (MasterChef Junior Season 2 on FOX) and you may be scratching your head as to how a then 11 year old kid would want to take on the famous Gordon Ramsay and Graham and Joe....

Well lets go back in time to when I was little, I loved playing with fake food, real food and had my own restaurant going when I was like 5 or something. Someone gave me one of those order pads and I was all set. My plastic Kitchen was my favorite toy!

My Mom let me do real stuff too. I started making coffee when I was like 2 and I had a bench pushed up to the counter. I used to have a cook knife that could not cut you, but it could cut real food and I had a metzaluna for chopping veggies when I was 4 or so.

I made my first recipe for the JIF most creative sandwich contest when I was 9 and that won me a trip to NYC. I went on tv a bunch with my recipe and it was really fun. I got so disappointed I did not win the grand prize that my Mom suggested that I enter another contest and I won.

This was the Epicurious Healthy Lunch Challenge. I won a trip to Washington , DC and the chance to eat in the WHITE HOUSE. MRS OBAMA hugged me and the PRESIDENT shook my hand!

THAT is huge, I mean you can buy a trip to NY, but you can't buy a trip into the White House for dinner.

I created my own spice rub between the two trips and started packaging it for sale to raise money for Cub Scouts. It is cool to have my own spice rub and small business. I have a few blends now. I love blending up new flavors.

Then I heard that there was a Judging Class for our famous Memphis In May World Championship BBQ contest. I thought I could do that, and with a little help from the organizers, I got into the class. At the end of the training, I passed the course!

My Mom challenged me to make something for The Spam Cookoff at the Fair and I did pretty good, 2nd place. It was a play on a reuben sandwich and was pretty tasty. I got a fun Spam hat and Apron. I don't usually wear a hat, but, it was for a photo op.




I then got an email asking if I wanted to be in a cookbook called FutureChefs - I mean really- Of course I did, so I went into the kitchen and whipped up a new recipe and made it into the book- Page 168 if you want to check for me.

Of course, you see my Blog, I have had it up for about 3 years. I started it to do writing assignments in school and it just has grown and grown. It is fun to have, but it requires lots of work. I did get my review in the local paper and I have been recognized as a food blogger! Both really cool. It also let me get entrance into the Association of Food Journalist convention in Memphis and that was a blast!

I guess, I always have had chefie goals and dreams- food makes the most exciting journey!!!
So get in the kitchen and mix up some fun!

Love the Cabbage Leaf
Logan Masterchef Junior Contestant

PS. I forgot some of the work I do for people who are hungry- might have to be another post!

Healthy Kid Ambassador visits the King

     Remember last August when I had the chance to go to the White House and meet the President and First Lady, that is when I got the title of Healthy Kid Ambassador. The inspired me to eat healthier than ever It also inspired me to try and help other kids make healthy choices.
      I thought about the area I live in- and we have the 2nd most visited house after the White House- GRACELAND, home of the King. This would be a great place to have a Healthy Heart Kids Picnic and so I asked the nice people at Graceland, and they gave me the opportunity to have a booth at Scout Rock. I am a Scout so that sounded cool.

       One March 22nd I set up my healthy Kid Ambassador booth , showing How to Rethink You Drink. I got about a dozen popular drinks and I measured out the sugar content and put the sugar in bags by each drink. I used a real grahm scale, it was fun and shocking. Have you ever imagined giving your kid a candy bar with dinner?
        Well, it would have less sugar than a Sprite. Or a Blow pop in a kids lunch? That is the amount of sugar in a low sugar capri sun- I can drink FOUR of them!!! That is 44 Grahams of sugar!!!!So many people were shocked.I interviewed Amy about her healthy choice vending machines and had some petitions to sign to get Little Caesars to sell some veggies and Restaurants to serve half portions for half price instead of the bad kids meal food!
   



It was amazing,one lady invited us to do the booth again for her Charity walk! I think Graceland really enjoyed having me in fact they invited me back next year! I would still like them to host a heart healthy Picnic though!

Thank you, Thank you very much,
Leaf