Young chef from Laval is put to the test on Chopped Canada
When 11-year-old Erica Bucciacchio saw an ad to be a contestant on one of her favourite cooking shows Chopped Canada, she jumped at the chance.
Not long after, she was chosen among hundreds of young chefs from across the country. Out of 24 kids, she's the only junior contestant from Quebec.
Bucciacchio has been shadowing her Italian mother and nonnas in the kitchen since she was a toddler.
Some of her favourite dishes include making ribs, steak and homemade BBQ sauce.
However, her sweet tooth has enticed her to delve into the world of baking, so cupcakes and cakes are her speciality.
Bucciacchio was confident walking into the competition on Chopped Canada, but cooking under a 30-minute deadline was tough.
"It was very exciting and stressful at the same time," says Bucciacchio.
"You have to work so fast and I'm not really used to that. So I had to practice that before I went on the show."
Bucciacchio was sworn to secrecy on the details of her episode, set to air Sunday, Oct. 23.
She did say that she had to compete against three other young chefs, who were all given a surprise basket of ingredients.
There are three rounds; appetizers, entrees and desserts. One contestant is eliminated each round, until one is crowned the Chopped Canada junior champion.
"They mark us on creativity and also what it looks like, your presentation and also the way it tastes and that's about all I can tell you," says Bucciacchio.
She showed off her baking skills with a cupcake decorating lesson and shared the recipe for her signature buttercream vanilla frosting.
She says it takes precision and patience to bake, but really enjoys decorating sweets because it's a lot like arts and crafts.
An early passion for cooking
Grace Vittoria says her daughter has always had a passion for cooking. It wasn't until Bucciacchio made an elaborate anniversary dinner for her parents, that she realized her daughter was also quite talented.
"It was a four-course meal with sangria and everything, and she had done everything from A to Z," says Vittoria.
"She had made us ribs, and this year the same thing. So that made us think, it's more than what a ten-year-old would have done. We were quite shocked."
Vittoria says it's a great perk having a chef in the house, except that her daughter rarely cleans up.
Not yet in high school, Erica Bucciacchio already has big plans for her future. She has her sights set on attending a pastry school and owning her own shop one day.
"I want to be a pastry chef and I want to open a little café and have cupcakes and people can order cakes," she says,
"And if I didn't do that, I'd probably open a macaron shop, because I love making french macarons."
