Atlanta 12-Year-Old Wins MasterChef Junior!

MasterChef Junior, the hugely popular youth cooking competition show, crowned a new champion Thursday night, and she’s a 12-year-old student at Atlanta. Jasmine Stewart, a sixth-grader, took home the MasterChef trophy as well as a $100,000 grand prize.

“This is the biggest moment of my entire life. Who would ever think a little girl from Milton, Georgia would ever win “MasterChef Junior?” said an elated Jasmine, moments after winning the final round of the competition, which aired Thursday evening on Fox in a two-hour-long finale.

Jasmine, who is a sixth-grader at the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta went in with high hopes. The show, now in it’s fifth season, is hosted by Gordon Ramsay, British star chef of “Hell’s Kitchen” and Christina Tosi, renowned pastry chef.

“Some of the highlights of the show was winning of course,” Jasmine told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an interview. “But I did love it when I got an apron. I never thought I would even make it on the show, let alone be getting an apron and get to wear it.”

“Whether she’s baking flawless French macaroons or putting together stunning sushi, Jasmine’s culinary skill and sophisticated palate make her talented well beyond her years,” said Tosi.

After winning the first challenge — baking a flawless molten lava cake — Jasmine got to decide the choice of meat for contestants in the next challenge. Jasmine opted for a more challenging rack of…