dear zachary herron,
you have been chosen to perform in blind auditions for masterchef junior.
the auditions will be held at the masterchef kitchen in los angeles on july 8, 2010.
your flight from dallas, texas will depart 7:20, gate c3 at dallas/fort worth international.
we hope you are as excited as we are. thank you for applying.
congrats, mcj managment
the nine year old belted his parents' names with tears scurrying down his lightly flushed cheeks. "mom! dad! i got in!" the boy jumped with joy coursing throughout his body. his energy radiated off the walls and through the whole neighborhood.
"baby, that's amazing!" myta congratulated her firstborn with a kiss on the cheek and a warm embrace. "i'm so proud of you, i knew you'd make it in!" tears started to cascade down the woman's cheeks as well, pride filling her body.
"we're so proud of you, zach. you're gonna do great." josh hugged the boy. the two were a tag team in the kitchen. one would be sauteing mushrooms and the other would be checking on the boiling water. it was one of their favorite things to do together; it brought people together and was something they needed to live.
"we're so proud of you, zach."
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"chelsea, get moving! we don't have all week!" only one voice was heard in the room, gordon ramsay's voice that was.
"yes, chef. sorry, chef," the eleven year old said with teary eyes. this made all the others in the room quicken their movements, half of them nearly cutting themselves.
"salt your water," a voice seemed to whisper into zach's ear. a voice he was fond of, not the booming that came from chef ramsay - his dad's voice. this challenge was for immunity. the top nine had to recreate a dish from their family's signature cookbook, a childhood classic. zach was making his parents' chicken and dumplings. a dish that always made him feel safe and this is exactly what he needed as he was feeling a bit homesick. though, this time he was elevating it.
"salting your water, young man?" zach looked up to see the feared chef in front of his station. all he could do was nod, so he nodded. "good move, zach. keep up the good work." again, he nodded, but this time with a smile. "twenty-five minutes left!"
"thank you." he whispered after the man had left his station since he was shy. he set his focus back onto his dish. quickly folding the circle of dough around a piece of chicken and some vegetables. this was his twist on the classic chicken stock with fluffy dumplings floating with celery. it was an inverted version, everything inside of a dumpling. he glanced at the clock, twenty-two minutes left.
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"three, two, one! time's up, back away from you station." aaron sanchez called out as eighteen little hands were flung in the air. one by one, each station was visited by the three judges. after sweeping the floor, they returned to their places at the front of the kitchen with options to discuss.
"i think tony did a great job of bringing us back to that homey feeling." joe pointed out.
"yeah, but i feel zachary really brought an elevated rendition to an american classic. i found it absolutely interesting." gordon continued the colloquy. the three nodded before turning to the chefs who were patiently waiting. "amanda. zachary. tony. jane." he paused for dramatic effect. "you had some dishes that we'd like to further evaluate them."
"zach, please bring your childhood classic to the front please." the sound of applause filled the room as he carefully walked to the pavilion with his plate of stuffed dumplings. "please explain the dish."
"yes, well, my favorite thing my parents always made for me when i was needing to feel safe was chicken and dumplings. so i flipped that on its head and wrapped it into a dumpling. this is my father's chicken soup with vegetables and my mother's dumpling recipe. i hope you enjoy." his face was now beet red, but he was now in the clear.
the judges were silent - speechless. this worried the young boy for he had no idea if this was good or terrible. zach stood at his station as he watched and took in all the information that the judges were giving out to other contestants. season this, spice that; don't serve over and/or undercooked food. "we'd like to call zach, tony, and logan to the front, thank you." the boys hurried to the marked spots. "you three had the best dishes of the night, but who had the best?"
"the best dish of the night belongs to... zach! congrats, young man, head up to the balcony." again, the room erupted with cheer as he ran up the steps.
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dear current reader,
hope you enjoyed this first chapter of match made in hell!
share, vote, and comment if you please.
thanks, rhyann
02:27 AM 07.28.19
02:42 PM 07.30.19
