Chatting with the Chopped Teen Tournament, Part 4 Winner

Show: Chopped
Sequoia and Morgan, Chopped Teen Competitors

Photo by: David Lang ©2014,Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

David Lang, 2014,Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Four young chefs-in-training entered the competition on tonight's fourth episode of the five-part Chopped Teen Tournament. But only one kid made it through all three rounds of mystery baskets, securing a spot in the grand finale, where he or she will have the chance to win $25,000 in prize money, a $40,000 culinary school scholarship and bragging rights as the first Chopped Teen Grand Champion, which goes pretty far when you're just a kid in high school. FN Dish has the exclusive interview with the teen-chef winner from Part 4.

The Baskets

Appetizer: salsa verde, chicken breast, bundle lunch kits and blue-corn tortilla chips

Entree: buffalo tenderloin, rainbow chard, couscous, squeezable blueberry yogurt

Dessert: chocolate Swiss roll, popcorn balls, blackberries and gummy fish

Elimination Details
First round: Antonio
Second round: Jake
Final round: Morgan
Winner: Sequoia

Judges: Chris Santos, Alex Guarnaschelli and Alex Stupak

Sequoia winning Part 4 of the Chopped Teen Tournament

Teen competitor Sequoia Pranger (16) in front of host Ted Allen and judges: Chris Santos, Alex Guarnaschelli and Alex Stupak reacting to winning a slot in the Teen Challenge and a chance to win $25,000 and a $40,000 culinary school scholarship, as seen on Food Network's Chopped, season 21.

Photo by: David Lang ©2014,Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

David Lang, 2014,Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Sequoia might have had a rocky start in the appetizer round, but she turned things around by finding her composure by the entree round. In the dessert round she found the freedom to be extra creative and fearless when putting out a dish that pushed the envelope. Sequoia showed the judges she could go from fearing the unknown to being fearless. She'll be back Aug. 12 to compete alongside Part 1 winner Jason, Part 2 winner Dante and Part 3 winner Tommi Rae in the Teen Tournament finale.

How does it feel to win today?

It was all I've ever dreamed of, all I've ever wanted. I don't think it's anything I can put into words, how it feels; it's just amazing.

Did you think you would make it this far?

After the appetizer round I thought that it was going to be me going home for sure. But once I made it past that, and got over my nerves, I felt like I had at least a chance.

How different was actually competing than what you might have imagined?

The clock is so fast. It's the most nerve-wracking thing ever. You don't really get the nerves when you're watching the show on TV, but when you're actually competing, it's an unreal amount of nerves.

What was the hardest basket for you today?

I think the appetizer one. It just threw me for a loop even though it seemed kind of simple. I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but my nerves made it so that I didn't execute it that well. Overall it didn't represent me very well. I'll just blame it on the basket.

Sequoia in the entree round

Teen competitor Sequoia Pranger (16) working on her appetizer that must include: salsa verde, chicken breast, bundled lunch kits and blue corn tortilla chips as she competes for a slot in the Teen Challenge and a chance to win $25,000 and a $40,000 culinary school scholarship, as seen on Food Network's Chopped, season 21.

Photo by: David Lang ©2014,Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

David Lang, 2014,Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

After you finished the entree round, you said you had more composure. Why was that, do you think?

It was really strange that immediately after the appetizer round, I felt totally elated, so peaceful. People kept asking me, "Is everything OK? Are you all right?" I was like, "I'm actually great." I felt really ready to do the entree round, and even further on I felt really ready to do the dessert round if I made it that far. I've always felt critical of people who just stared at the baskets for a while. In the appetizer round, I just started cooking, because I thought that's what I needed to do. But actually that's the wrong thing to do, because it threw me for a loop. I spun around in a circle for, like, 10 minutes. I realized I just needed to look at the basket ingredients and focus and gather an idea really quickly. You can't go anywhere if you don't have a direction.

When Chris said that he felt your dessert was more like a bunch of garnishes, what was going through your mind?

I felt the exact same way. That round, I actually thought that I completely would have understood why I would be chopped. Morgan had a very composed idea. She had three solid components. She made an ice cream, which I thought was really smart. My dessert was basically a bunch of garnishes. His critique was totally right about how I could have made more on the anti-griddle or made a Napoleon.

How did you first get interested in cooking?

When I was younger, I used to make all these strange concoctions in my kitchen. I would put sauces together and try to make all these things, and obviously they never worked out. Then I started watching Food Network, and it truly taught me how to cook. It's all I watched all day, just sitting on my couch. If I liked something I'd write it down, and then I'd go to my kitchen and try to re-create it. One time in the middle of the day I wanted to make a pear tart, and I added salt instead of sugar. It was horrible. But I've had this amazing interest in cooking as far as I can remember. When I was introduced to the culinary program at my school, I found my niche. I knew that cooking was kind of my thing from day one.

What's your strategy going into the finale?

Well, Chris said it today, and I totally agree: I'm not going into Round 1; I'm going into Round 5. Of course the nerves will be there. With all these other competitors it will be a lot fiercer. I definitely know that I will give my best. That way, if I know I've tried my hardest, if I get chopped in the first round it will be a lot easier for me to accept. My strategy is just to try hard and focus, and that's all you can really do.

More from this Episode:

Visit Chopped headquarters for the latest on the Teen Tournament.

Next Up

Chatting with the Chopped Teen Tournament, Part 1 Winner

Get the interview with the winner of Part 1 of the Chopped Teen Tournament.

Chatting with the Chopped Teen Tournament, Part 3 Winner

Find out which teen chef won round 3 of the Chopped Teen Tournament, and earned a place in the finale.

Chatting with the Chopped Teen Tournament, Part 2 Winner

Get the interview with the winner of Part 2 of the Chopped Teen Tournament.

Chatting with the Chopped Ultimate Champions: Celebrities, Part 4 Winner

Get the exclusive interview with the Part 4 winner in the Chopped Ultimate Champions tournament on Food Network.

Chatting with the Chopped Teen Grand Champion

Find out which teen competitor won the Chopped Teen Tournament on Food Network, and earned $25,000 in prize money and a $40,000 scholarship.

Chatting with the Winner of the Chopped Ultimate Champions Tournament

Find out which competitor won Food Network's Chopped Ultimate Champions tournament, walking away with $50,000 and a brand-new car.

Chatting with the Chopped Ultimate Champions: Amateurs, Part 2 Winner

Get the exclusive interview with the winner of the amateurs round in Part 2 of Food Network's Chopped Ultimate Champions.

Chatting with the Chopped Ultimate Champions: Heroes, Part 3 Winner

Get the exclusive interview with the winner from the heroes round in the Chopped Ultimate Champions tournament on Food Network.

Chatting with the Chopped Ultimate Champions: Pros, Part 1 Winner

Read the exclusive interview with the winner of Round 1 of the Chopped Ultimate Champions tournament.

Chatting With the Round-4 Winner of Chopped Champions

Read the first exclusive interview Chef Rob Evans, the round-four winner of Food Network's Chopped Champions.