Chopped Teen Tournament: Meet the Competitors

Get to know the 16 teens competing for a culinary school scholarship in the Chopped Teen Tournament.

Introducing the Tournament's Teens

This first-ever teen series is broken down into four preliminary rounds, airing July 15, 22 and 29 and Aug. 5. The winner from each round will advance to the finale on Aug. 12. One teen chef will be named the winner and will walk away with the title of Chopped Teen Grand Champion along with $25,000 in spending money and a coveted $40,000 culinary school scholarship.

Round 1: Alexandria

Alexandria, 16, hosts her own show, Alex's Kitchen, on YouTube and has a food blog. She loves to participate in extracurricular school activities and is currently working on her first cookbook. Her specialties include apple butter-glazed ham and apple-and-brioche bread pudding.

Round 1: Ashley

Ashley, 16, loves to have fun in the kitchen, and she doesn't let any ingredient intimidate her. She's currently in a culinary program, honing her craft. Her specialty dish is mascarpone mashed potatoes, which came about as purely an accident when no cheddar cheese was available.

Round 1: Jason

Jason, 14, is involved in a cooking club at his school. His interest in food was fueled by cooking Russian dishes with his grandmother, and he considers Anne Burrell a big inspiration. He often cooks large meals for his family, such as roasts and the turkey for Thanksgiving.

Round 1: Jay

Jay, 16, doesn't read cookbooks; he watches Food Network for inspiration. He wants to show his mom, who is paralyzed, that he can become a chef. His specialty dish is pastelon, a Puerto Rican dish made with layers of plantains and ground meat. Jay likes to think of himself as a diva in the kitchen.

Round 2: Dante

Dante, 17, wants to help people through his food and his ministry by helping battered women and the homeless. Dante loves to cook international dishes, and his specialty is pan-fried chicken with risotto. He's not afraid of the pressure of competing, because he excels thinking on the fly.

Round 2: Eyan

Eyan, 16, is interested in both cooking and engineering, which he applies to his cuisine by making many components from scratch, such as cheese and flour, and he has even forged a knife. He has taken lessons from Chef Jehangir Mehta and has interned at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. His focus is healthy cooking.

Round 2: Lucy

As a devotee of molecular gastronomy, Lucy, 15, combines her love for cooking with chemistry. She often turns out unique dishes in her classes. Her experimental style isn't limited to technique; she also likes creating unique flavor combinations, such as her recipe for cayenne-rubbed pork loin, braised in citrus.

Round 2: Mikayla

Mikayla, 13, expresses herself through her cooking and finds it a healing process. She plans to attend The Culinary Institute of America and study in France and Italy before becoming a chef. She loves to make fresh pastas and stir-fries, and she has recently started experimenting with her molecular gastronomy kit.

Round 3: Brandon

Brandon, 15, loves to put unique spins on classic dishes, injecting them with his personality. He plans to attend the CIA and travel the world, honing his craft before becoming a chef. He loves to have fun in the kitchen, and he sometimes gives his utensils odd names. One of his specialties is pumpkin burgers.

Round 3: Hannah

Hannah, 14, has always been fascinated with the brain and is studying to be a neurosurgeon. She taught herself how to cook and has never taken a class or followed a recipe. Her creative side shines in her cooking: One of her specialties is roasted branzino stuffed with lentils.

Round 3: Max

Max, 16, lives by the mantra that if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life. He has his own blog and food business, Cakes to the Max. He spent a summer in China and learned how to make dumplings from scratch. Max adheres to a gluten-free diet and makes his own special flour blends.

Round 3: Tommi Rae

Tommi Rae, 16, loves to express herself through cooking and baking. She hopes to explore the different cuisines of the world in pursuit of her culinary career — and be the first person in her family to go to college. She thinks of herself as a fighter and is ready to take on the competition.

Round 4: Antonio

Antonio, 16, was inspired by his bout with leukemia to become a doctor to help cure others. Cooking was his outlet during his illness, and watching Chopped inspired him to try different techniques. He loves to put his own take on recipes and learns by experimenting.

Round 4: Jake

Jake, 13, cooks almost every day to keep his creativity sharp. He was inspired by his mom and his grandfather to get cooking. He's taken classes at the Institute of Culinary Education and has competed on Superchef Kids. His specialty dish is beer-battered cod with an Asian slaw.

Round 4: Morgan

Morgan, 14, recalls her earliest memory as watching Food Network. She wants to attend Cornell University to study food science. Morgan makes and sells organic dog treats with proceeds going to her local animal shelter. She finds the kitchen her sanctuary, where she cooks specialties like chicken piccata and lemon meringue cake.

Round 4: Sequoia

Sequoia, 16, has always wanted to end up on Food Network. She's currently in a culinary program at her school, and by competing, she wants to prove that even a small-town girl can make it in the big city. She loves to cook multicultural food. Her specialties are sous vide steak and lavender creme brulee.

Get More Chopped Teen Tournament

Visit the Chopped page for more on the Teen Tournament, including behind-the-scenes galleries and videos, and exclusive interviews with the winners of each round.

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