RARITAN TWP. -- Peyton Copeland, the 11-year-old "Master Chef Junior" contestant from Hunterdon County, has successfully navigated the opening round of the FOX television competition.
Peyton, from Raritan Township, was chosen from an initial field of 40 cooks between the ages of 8 and 13 to join the final 20 in the 15-episode show.
During the show that aired Thursday night, Peyton's cupcakes were described as "bright, bold and pretty darn delicious" by pastry chef Christina Tosi, who is judging the competition along with host Gordon Ramsay.
Peyton, the only contestant from New Jersey, had prepared blood orange cupcakes with blood orange frosting and raspberry splatter sauce.
The first eight of the 20 finalists were chosen on the show's fifth-season debut on Feb. 9. On Thursday, Peyton was among 12 who were selected to join them. The next show will air next Thursday at 8 p.m.
Peyton with the white apron she won. (Michael Becker | FOX Broadcasting Co.)Introducing herself on her first television appearance, Peyton said, "I'm just like every other kid in America, but I'm a world traveler ... My favorite trip was Paris. Paris changed my life, because it's the food capitol of the world."
During Thursday's show, the child chefs were placed in groups of four and two from each group were chosen to move on.
Each group was given the task of preparing a specific dish in a half-hour, and for Peyton's, it was cupcakes.
In an interview last month with NJ Advance Media, Peyton had said entrees, and not desserts, were her specialty.
Peyton, seen struggling with her recipe during the preparation, admitted to Tosi that the splatter was not completely intentional.
"I kind of lost control," Peyton said.
Tosi judged the cupcakes "delicious" nonetheless, while adding that the cupcakes were "a little dense" and "could have been aerated more."
The show does not provide last names for the contestants and also emerging from Peyton's group was 12-year-old Adam from Sacramento, Calif., who said he incorporates his love of chemistry into his cooking. Adam wowed the judges with his cupcakes that were smoked with cinnamon and nutmeg and used spiced butter cream icing with a strawberry compote in the center.
N.J. cuisine maven savors time on 'Masterchef Junior'
"Good job, well done," Ramsay told him.
Taking a kinder, gentler stance toward the child chefs than he does for adult contestants, Ramsay said the others presented "three very strong, valiant efforts, but one box had a slight edge."
Later, a jubilant Peyton and Adam emerged with the white "Master Chef" aprons awarded to contestants who moved on to the second round.
"To get a white apron feels like the best thing I could ever ask for and it feels like a dream come true," Peyton commented. She added, "I want to win this thing."
Other groups in Thursday's contest were asked to make chicken dishes, hamburgers and there were two regional four-person groups -- one from Texas that prepared steak dishes and another from Massachusetts that prepared lobster dishes.
Among those emerging as strong contenders from those groups were Eddie, from New York City, who described his chicken marsala as "irresistible;" Shayne "The Train" from Texas, who won strong praise for his cajun rib-eye steak; and Lila, from Massachusetts, who impressed the judges with her lobster wontons.
Ben Horowitz may be reached at bhorowitz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @HorowitzBen. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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