Junior chefs face off in a competition packed with backyard barbecue ingredients. First, they tackle a potato dish and a protein meant for grilling. Then, the finalists must work with a very sweet pie and a sour dairy product.
Junior chefs encounter outlandish surprises in every basket, but will working with weird ingredients throw them off their game? Guest judges are Food Network Star finalist Martita Jara, Marcus Samuelsson and George Mendes.
Caribbean flavors rule in this tropical competition! In the appetizer round, junior chefs cook with a classic Caribbean spice blend and in the entree round they must pair fish with fruit. Guest judge is musician Ziggy Marley.
The junior chefs must use baby vegetables and pickled fruit in their appetizers and mushroom-flavored snacks in their entrees. Chef and restaurateur Shannon Allen joins Chris Santos and Marcus Samuelsson on the judging panel.
Alligator tenderloin in the appetizer basket is a bit of a shock, and edible slime in the entree basket brings a giggle and hopefully something nice to the cooks' main dishes.