We elect Sir Bruno Serato one of the best guys in OC. Not only does his Anaheim White House come in tops for a great Italian menu and charming ambiance, he does an abundance of charity work helping out the families of our local communities. Knighted by the nation of Italy and named a CNN Hero, he is best known for feeding 1,600 SoCal “motel kids” nightly, making copious amounts of pasta and salads for kids who might otherwise go to bed hungry or without a hot meal due to the lack of kitchen in their temporary homes. His newest program to keep kids out of trouble and give them something productive to do afterschool is Hospitality Academy.
The program, a first in the nation, is aimed at students grades 7-12 and is intended as a diversionary tool to keep them off the streets after school. Those interested in exploring careers in restaurants, hotels and other tourism related businesses can learn all aspects of the industry and get hands-on training from leaders in their respective fields.
During the 12-week program, the kids get to shadow professionals in all capacities of hospitality. One day they may be in the kitchen learning about nutrition and performing small food prep tasks, the next they might be learning to handle customers by shadowing servers. The teens are given the opportunity to learn the social skills involved in running a restaurant as they observe the general manager performing his duties. Some sessions also allow students to get involved with the online promotion of the establishment, with training by a social media expert.
The Hospitality Academy is offered every semester and concludes with a graduation ceremony at the Anaheim White House where they showcase their learned skills before friends and family.
MasterChef Junior Casting
Insider Tips on Impressing the Judges
We are proud supporters of our little local chefs, a number of whom have gotten the nod to represent OC on nationally televised cooking competition shows. We chat with Gina Gonzalez, Supervising Casting Producer & Story Producer for MasterChef & MasterChef Junior, to give you the lowdown on behind-the-scenes elements of the show and what draws the notices of judges during casting.
Do casting directors for food competition shows look more for personality, passion for cooking, or skills?
I can’t speak for other shows but when casting MasterChef Junior, we look for PASSION. We’re looking for kids that are super passionate about cooking and really love food and being in the kitchen. If a child has the passion, then they will be excited to learn and absorb as much as they can when coming to the MasterChef Junior kitchen. We always say, “No one comes in a MasterChef, but they leave as one!”
How can a child demonstrate they truly are excited about cooking?
Just tell us! As simple as that. When a child comes to our open casting calls we talk to each and every one of them and we want to know how much they love cooking and what they love about it. Also, hearing about what kinds of dishes they make is always nice!
How can a child prepare for a food competition show audition? Learn terms, practice methods?
Again, I can only speak on MasterChef Junior…but I’d definitely say practice makes perfect. The more time the child spends in the kitchen, the more comfortable and confident they will be when coming out to audition.
If a casting director passes on a child one year, is it worth trying again?
Absolutely! We always have kids come back the following year if they didn’t go far in the casting process. Sometimes all a child needs is one more year to really work on their skills, and their confidence.
Is the environment supportive or high pressure at the audition?
Extremely supportive! The goal at our open casting calls is for each kid to have a fun-filled and enjoyable experience. It’s not high pressure at all. We talk to the kids in groups and have fun with them. Kids that come to an open casting call usually make a new friend, or two! It’s an opportunity to meet like-minded kids that share their same cooking passion and they might also discover — they don’t live to far from one another!
Do kids meet celeb chefs during the tryout process?
No, they do not. The chefs at our open casting call are our Food Judges (who aren’t famous) and they speak to each child about their cooking and give them basic cooking tasks to complete.
How do kids handle school conflicts with filming?
We have Studio Teachers on set during filming so kids have school. It is part of their daily schedule.
Do they stay with their parents or is it like a camp?
Every child stays with one of their parents during filming. We like to look at the experience as the best cooking camp any child can wish for. They will be cooking everyday and mentored by two of the greatest chefs in the world!
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