Youth chefs dazzle O.C. Fair guests with creative burgers

Sean Le grew up watching Food Network shows such as “Iron Chef” and “Good Eats,” marveling how the chefs prepared such beautiful dishes while trying to beat the clock and knowing thousands of viewers would watch every move.

On Thursday it was Sean’s turn to be in the spotlight as he and Mason Partak participated in a cook-off at the Orange County Fair.

About 150 spectators watched Sean, 15, who attends Fountain Valley High, and Mason, 13, who lives in Auburn, Calif., prepare burgers of their choice in 45 minutes.

Both Sean and Mason brought some impressive culinary credentials to the event.

Mason won an episode of the first season of the Food Network show “Chopped Junior” in 2015. The competition requires contestants to prepare a dish with only a few ingredients and progress through multiple rounds.

Sean, who started cooking when he was 8, was a contestant on the second season of Fox’s “MasterChef Junior”, which includes judges such as the Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay.

Pamela Wnuck, the fair’s culinary arts supervisor, said in an email that she selected Sean because of his participation in the fair’s culinary arts program.

Wnuck said she saw Mason on “Chopped Junior” and reached out to his mother, Kathy, on Facebook.

“In the future I may have an application process,” Wnuck said.

In the televised competitions, chefs can focus solely on the food, with only an occasional question from a moderator.

During Thursday’s challenge, Sean and Mason prepared their burgers — both used ground Kobe beef — while answering questions from audience members about certain ingredients and what inspired them to get in the kitchen.

One could tell once the clock started that Sean and Mason had cooked in front of crowds before. They smiled, spoke slowly and looked at the audience when replying to questions.

Sean, whose mother taught him the basics of Vietnamese cooking, tore some shiitake mushrooms by hand, explaining that mushrooms are “delicate” and susceptible to bruising if one uses a knife to cut them.

Sean decided on a burger with Japanese influences. He sauteed the mushrooms in yuzu — a type of citrus juice — soy sauce and butter.

Sean added soy sauce to his beef patty, which he would top with melted havarti cheese, arugula, the mushrooms and a sea urchin aioli, in which he combined mayonnaise with urchin roe and yuzu.

Mushrooms played a starring role in Mason’s burger. He added ground mushrooms and chopped portobellos to his beef patty, along with onion and garlic powders.

As he kneaded ingredients into the beef, a spectator asked Mason when he started cooking.

Mason said he started when he was 3, and performed his first cooking demonstration at age 8.

He admitted there were dishes that did not turn out so well, like a Ritz cracker souffle. Mason’s mother, Kathy, said he has progressed from those days and makes a great rib eye.

Mason sauteed onions and peppers for a topping list that included pepperoncinis, lettuce, chopped bacon and a cheddar crisp.

For the crisp, Mason heated up shredded cheddar cheese in a frying pan until it melted together. He then slid the cheese round out of the pan while still hot onto a plate and let it cool and crisp.

Sean and Mason sauteed their ingredients in pans atop portable electric burners.

Once their burgers were on the plates, it was time for three judges to eat and provide comments, even though there would not be a dedicated winner. Sean and Mason both received a ribbon.

“It was a total home run on a bun,” fairgoer Mark Warhol said of Mason’s burger. “The burger hit my flavor profile, more traditional influences.

“Sean’s burger was a unique experience. It’s hard to compare the two.”

“It’s always nerve-wracking at first because hundreds of people can see you cook,” said Sean, who earned a Best of Class award in Sugar Arts at last year’s O.C. Fair. “After the start I felt comfortable and had a really good time.”

“It’s always fun to do live demos,” Mason said. “It’s especially great to get everyone involved and feel the energy and heat in the kitchen. It’s a great sensation.”

Sean, who works part-time as a prep cook at Newport Beach’s True Food Kitchen, and wants to open his own restaurant someday, will return to this year’s fair at 5 p.m. Aug. 6 to compete in a challenge with renowned pastry chef Stephane Treand.

And on Sunday, Mason will be a contestant on the Food Network show “Guy’s Grocery Games.”

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Twitter: @AldertonBryce

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