Junior MasterChef Australia: Phenix And Salvo Leave In Double Elimination Episode

‘Junior MasterChef Australia ’ farewelled another two contestants on Tuesday night during its second elimination episode.

Phenix and Salvo bid goodbye to the cooking show after an initial doughnut challenge followed by another round that involved cooking their dream dish.

Salvo chose to make a tuna and prawn burger reminiscent of fried seafood he ate on family holidays in the Amalfi Coast when he was younger. 

While the judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo were impressed with his ability to cook seafood, Salvo’s dish wasn’t enough to keep him in the competition. 

For Phenix it was an easy choice to make a coffee cake with a walnut and pistachio crumble as her dream is to own her own bakery one day. 

The judges enjoyed the flavours of the dessert, however the texture of the crumble let her down.

“When I grow up… I want to be a businesswoman like my mum and I want to be a chef and baker like my dad,” the 11-year-old recently told HuffPost Australia.

Phenix has grown up surrounded by food, and remembers cooking from a very young age.

“The first time I started cooking, I was five years old and my dad would help me cook in the kitchen, or more I would help him and we would bake together,” she said. 

“My dad was a very big help for this MasterChef  journey because he was very supportive and he definitely gave me a lot of tips and he taught me a lot of technical skills.” 

While she loves making “comfort food that includes chips and chicken wings”, she also enjoys exploring her cultural heritage through cooking.

“My grandparents from my mum’s side were definitely a big help as well,” she said, “because they taught me a lot of traditional Vietnamese dishes”.

Phenix and Salvo were two of 14 contestants aged 9-14 selected for the show this year.

The show farewelled three budding cooks, Ryan, Porsha and Etka last week in its first triple elimination . 

The remaining contestants include Ben, Carter, Dev, Filo, Georgia , Laura, Ruby, Tiffany and Vienna.

‘Junior MasterChef Australia’ airs on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at 7:30pm on Channel 10. 

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