Currently: 77°F
Kayla Mitchell just graduated with a degree in communications and a concentration in public relations, but she’s already had two big PR wins in her life. First, she was a contestant on “MasterChef Junior” season three as an 11-year-old, and now, she’s back for another try on this season of “MasterChef Duos.”
Mitchell and Ryan Kate Brandenburg, a fellow contest from her season on “MasterChef Junior,” reunited in the kitchen and earned their spot on episode two with a dish of pan-seared sea bass served over a bed of lemon garlic spinach with sautéed cherry tomatoes, a white wine beurre blanc and toasted breadcrumbs. The show is airing now, and you can watch it live on FOX and the next day on Hulu.
How did this Long Island native end up on the show for the first time? “Some people grew up in an ESPN house, but I grew up in a Food Network house,” shares Mitchell. After watching an episode of “MasterChef Junior,” she saw that they put out a casting call for the next season. “I pulled out my iPod touch, went online and filled out the application without evening telling my mom.” Weeks later, her mom got a call, and after flying out to Los Angeles and auditioning, Mitchell landed the gig.
Being raised in a “loud, stereotypical Italian family” with a mother and grandmother who were excellent home chefs, she says, inspired her to cook and bake from an early age. After placing sixth in “MasterChef Junior,” she continued to cook, offering classes to kids with her mom, doing pop-up events at restaurants and constantly fine-tuning her craft. “My mom exposed me to so many things in the kitchen, and I wasn’t afraid to try anything,” she shares.
So, when her old friend Brandenburg reached out to share that a producer contacted her about joining “Duos,” Mitchell jumped at the chance. The show was filmed from October to December of 2024.
“MasterChef” has shaped a lot of decisions in Mitchell’s life, including her major. “I was having a conversation with my mom where I was trying to explain to her the vibes of the type of job I wanted. She told me it sounds a lot like what the public relations people and producers did on “MasterChef Junior” and got me in touch with an old contact from the show, who was kind enough to take a call with me and help me out.”
Mitchell was a member of the Honors College, the Cygnus Society, the women’s lacrosse team, the Millersville chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America and Broadcast Education Association during her time on campus. Now a seasoned chef, she has some advice to offer aspiring cooks.
- FAVORITE COOKBOOKS: “My mom and I watched the movie “Julia and Julia,” and I bought Julia Child’s cookbook afterward. French cooking sounds intimating, but there are so many good, basic and simple recipes in there.”
- MUST-HAVE KITCHEN TOOL: “A really good, sharp knife. Dull knives are dangerous and make your job harder. I have an excellent Japanese knife that was a big-girl purchase – and I got a knife sharper – that I have an emotional attachment to.”
- HER GO-TO MEALS: “I’ll take any sort of protein, season it, roasted potatoes in air fryer, add broccoli with a little bit of olive oil and serve with half an avocado and lime. Another g- to is pasta, of course.”
“A lot of people could say this experience is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I’ve done it twice,” says Mitchell. “I want to thank everyone who helped to get me here.”
