The last few months I’ve really enjoyed the fact that Blakely is starting to have more similar interests to mine as she grows closer and closer to her “tween” status. One of those is our love of the show Master Chef, which is now naturally leading her to a potential love for cooking (fingers crossed). This new found passion was originally sparked for her when I was trying out watching Master Chef Jr randomly one day… the kid contestants are clearly more appealing to a nine year old girl than perhaps the snarky, arrogant chefs we see on the typical cooking show. She’s grown up knowing me as a self proclaimed chef with a love for the art of cooking, but other than the occasional helping me cook during the holidays, has not been “into it….” until Master Chef Jr.
So… we’ve been binge watching Master Chef episodes together lately; some I’ve watched before and some are new to me. As a cooking show fan-girl Master Chef ranks at the top for me (and is now THE top since Blakely will watch it with me!). Gordon Ramsay is an icon. There’s nothing else out there like him. Before watching any of his shows I admit, I associated him with Hell’s Kitchen and the image of a fiery raging A-hole that mistreated his contestants for the sake of viewership. Perhaps that is true during some show during some season of his time on television (I mean, there are many!) but, my experience with Master Chef has been delightful and quite the contrast.
I love the back and forth between the judges and the contestants throughout each challenge; it’s always helpful, informative/tutorial for the viewer, and clearly they care about cooking. All positive things. Which is why I was beyond excited when Blakely sat down the first, second and third time to watch Master Chef Jr with me.
Here’s the thing I love most: she sees kids her age doing something amazing… and being encouraged, awarded and congratulated. She sees them “lose” and still be recognized for their achievements. And at the same time she is learning new skills and perhaps (crossing fingers again) discovering a new passion for cooking along the way.
In binging watching Master Chef Jr that day, I somehow had unintentionally stumbled upon something that really was extraordinary for her, and for us. You’ll hear me say it over and over: food is a beautiful way to connect family and relationships, whether you’re cooking together or eating together. The fact that Master Chef Jr was key to bringing she and I together over food (after trying so desperately to interest her in my love for cooking) couldn’t be more exciting to me. It finally happened, and better than I could have imagined: she has a fun and engaging resource exemplifying a healthy view of competition, something (other than her mom) that naturally peaks her interest in cooking, and relatable role models that exude an “anything is possible” mindset.
“Food is a beautiful way to connect family and relationships, whether you’re cooking together or eating together.”
Fast Forward to Christmas 2023 and I’m shopping for her “it” present when I come across a random ad (and I say random sarcastically because hello, I’ve only watched Master Chef for 28 out of 24 in a day for the last three months) for a Master Chef game. I instantly was hooked. The ad was originally for a simpler version of what I ended up purchasing, so I’ll link it here for you to take a look at. I can see where it would make sense for a lot of kids, especially those on the fence with cooking since it’s less of an investment.
But as the idea was sparked to get Blakely a Master Chef gift, I began digging. And that’s when I found it… the Master Chef Jr VR. At first I wasn’t sure if it was too gimmicky or if it was too over the top, but I went for it. At the end of the day, I wanted her to have something special and being under $100, it didn’t feel like too big of a risk. But, there it was… her “IT” gift for the year. I crossed my heart and hoped to die that it would resonate and she’d love it.
Now, let’s fast forward to today. It’s later in January and we’re finally breaking it open. She was ecstatic to get it, but you know how it is… the holidays are busy, you know you need to read the instructions and unpack it all, and the “right time” is hard to come by. Well today is my birthday and Blakely came to me, Master Chef box in hand, and said “I’d really like to do this with you because I know cooking makes you happy.” Ok, heart is melting at the thoughtfulness and honestly the validation that it was a good “it” gift.
It’s not always easy to drop everything and do what project your kid wants in the moment but today it felt great. I’m excited to share how it went. It was truly the best Christmas present for her and the best birthday gift I could have ever unexpectedly asked of her. Disclaimer: while the kit is fantastic, the true memory is how much fun we had together. But I do love a good vehicle to endorse these moments! And Master Chef Jr VR did not disappoint… I look forward to so many more of these cooking dates with her!
So let’s get to it shall we?
What are you actually getting when you purchase the Master Chef Jr VR? (and what the heck is a VR anyway?)
For starters, the VR stands for Virtual Reality. You can save $15 and buy it without the VR but in my opinion, this is what makes the gift so unique and was what Blakely was completely fascinated by. But more on that later.
Let’s start with the basics. You’re purchasing a 90 page cookbook that includes 30 healthy recipes across several food groups, 20 silicone cooking utensils in Master Chef’s class bright orange, a Master Chef Jr apron, and VR goggles. What’s cool about this kit is that the cookbook is interactive with both the VR goggles and your phone when you download the VR MasterChef app. In both options, your little chef will be able to watch videos for each of the 30 recipes that help them learn and visualize how to do each step of the recipe.
It definitely takes some parental help in getting it set up and requires you to give up your phone for the experience (can you handle that? It had my wondering…). Depending on your little chef’s skillset, the amount of involvement thereafter is dependent solely on how much you want to be involved.
For setup, I’d recommend reading through the first few pages to fully understand how it works and then picking a recipe you want.
To be continued….
