Jimmy Warshawsky

[KHTS] – One teen from the Santa Clarita Valley is taking his talent from the frying pan to the television in the third season of “MasterChef Junior.”

Jimmy Warshawsky, known as The Chef Jimmy, is one of 19 contestants on the “cooking competition series” where kids between the ages of 8-years-old and 13-years-old compete against each other for the prize of a MasterChef Junior trophy and a $100,000 prize.

The favorite dish of 13-year-old Jimmy, of Canyon Country, is to make almond ricotta pancakes with almond whipped cream, he said.

“Ever since I started cooking, I just loved experimenting and being creative in the kitchen,” Jimmy said. “It’s an awesome ability to take ingredients that were nothing and being able to make them into something.”

Jimmy said he helps his parents make dishes and they help him, too.

“He loved to be creative in every way since he was young,” said Jimmy’s mom, Lisa Warshawsky. “Anything crafty — cooking just feeds into all of that. He has watched all of Gordon Ramsay’s shows and makes an excellent beef wellington.”

Jimmy went to an open casting call for the show, where he did a couple of cooking tests and after a few call backs and an interview, he was in.

“It’s been the most amazing experience of our lives. I’m so proud of him. He’s just a wonderful person. He does great in school,” Warshawsky said. “He always loves to be in the kitchen. It’s an incredible experience and we couldn’t be happier.”

Jimmy currently attends La Mesa Junior High and his favorite subject is math, which is useful for cooking. He also is an anchorman for the school’s broadcast class and loves to sing and write his own songs.

“Even though I love to cook and experiment with really high-end, fancy foods, my absolute favorite food to eat is just plain old s’mores,”  according to Jimmy’s statement on the MasterChef Junior website. “I could eat those all day and night!”

Watch and support The Chef Jimmy on MasterChef Junior beginning Jan. 6 and Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on FOX 11.