The best kid chefs in the country have arrived in Los Angeles to prove their culinary chops and on-screen talent to mentors Tia Mowry and Donal Skehan. First, they're thrown into the spotlight with just 30 seconds to show who they are. Then, they must cook up a memorable dish that expresses their food personality, accompanied by a Snapchat cooking tip. In the end, the mentors taste and assess the dishes, sending one finalist home.
The seven junior finalists' creativity is put to the test when they cook up their two best brunch dishes, using fresh-squeezed orange juice in one dish and serving the other dish in an actual orange. Finalists present their dishes on a morning talk show to mentors Tia Mowry and Donal Skehan, along with special guest mentor and YouTube star Elise Strachan.
In a test of communication skills, the six junior finalists must work in teams of two to prepare a tasty two-item Sunday dinner, then livestream a tip about their meal. Tia Mowry and Donal Skehan, along with special guest mentor and online video personality, Gabriel Conte, will determine which team had the most successful livestream. At the end of the day, one junior finalist is eliminated.
It's all about confidence for the five junior finalists when they must sell an audience on an unusual ingredient. Then, the kids must use a different odd ingredient in a dish and present it to mentors Tia Mowry and Donal Skehan. One junior finalist's dish will not make the cut and be sent home.
The focus is on charisma as the four remaining junior finalists must pitch two of their favorite lunch dishes to mentors Tia Mowry and Donal Skehan, along with some special guests -- comedian Loni Love and actor Neel Sethi, breakout star of The Jungle Book. With a few notes and adjustments from the panel, one dish is greenlit, while another competitor is sent home.
The three remaining junior finalists shoot sizzle reels to whet the appetites of mentors Tia Mowry and Donal Skehan as they shop for ingredients to prepare "the most important meals of their lives." Back in the kitchen, the kids must prepare and present their final dishes, while their sizzle reels are played back to the mentors, to determine who will be named the first ever Food Network Star Kid and host their own series on FoodNetwork.com!