Huntington Woods Teen Lands Spot on MasterChef Junior

Sammy Vieder, 13, began competing on the Fox TV show Masterchef Friday. The Huntington Woods teen has loved cooking since preschool, when he told his teachers about episodes of cooking shows he watched with his family. Vieder told The Detroit Jewish News that cooking runs in his family, if only at a great distance, as one of his great grandparents owned Sammy’s Deli in Ferndale.

The son of an emergency room physician in the Henry Ford Health System, Vieder often prepares meals for his busy family, which includes dad Jason, mom Stacy and younger siblings Gabe, 10 and Lindsay, 7.

Contestants on MasterChef Junior range in age from 8 to 13. The kids perform a number of cooking challenges, including running a restaurant and events where they might feed a large group of soldiers or first responders. Timed challenges at the end of each episode determine which kid chef-testants stay and who goes home. For season six, judges Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi are joined by Joe Bastianich, who returns to the show after a several-season hiatus.

Vieder was one of 40 kids and teens chosen to compete this season.

For complete coverage, visit the Detroit Jewish News.

Photo by David Buchan/Getty Images.