For their last challenge of the season, the top three Junior Chef finalists must create a concept, name and menu for their very own pop-up restaurant. In three intense rounds of cooking they will serve the judges an outstanding tasting menu with an appetizer, entrée and dessert. Cheering them on is a live audience of family and the previously eliminated competitors. When the final dish is served the judges will declare one the Junior Chef Showdown champion who will take home the $25,000 prize

Nine junior chefs enter the kitchen to show off their speed, strength and accuracy in this week’s Skills Test. It’s a back-to-basics race to manually whip meringue, dress Anna Olson’s lemon pie, and finish it off with a blow torch. The first to finish earns an advantage for the Cooking Challenge when the junior chefs randomly select a school lunch box each containing a different variety of bread. The junior chefs must use their bread to create a fresh and inspired meal, to be served to the judges in their lunch box in 40 minutes. Some will rise to the challenge, but at least one lunch box letdown will send a junior chef home.

Ready, Set, SHOWDOWN! Fourteen junior chefs enter the kitchen for the first time to showcase their cooking chops for judges Jordan Andino, Lynn Crawford and Anna Olson. In their first Skills Test, the junior chefs hit the griddle to see who can make the highest stack of perfectly cooked pancakes in just 10 minutes. The best stacks may earn the junior chefs safety from the upcoming Cooking Challenge. The remaining junior chefs are then tasked to “Cook The Rainbow” by creating a delicious chicken dish with a minimum of three colours from the rainbow pantry in 40 minutes. Only those with the best dishes will impress the judges and earn another week in the competition.

Just four Junior Chefs remain in the competition’s semi-final round. Season one champion Audrey returns with words of wisdom, inspiration and a demonstration for the young chefs on the verge of victory. The Junior Chefs must replicate Audrey’s Steak Frites to earn the final Skills Test advantage. Then for this week’s Cooking Challenge the top four present their own spin on the judges’ favourite rolled dishes. Only three Junior Chefs can advance to the finale, so one rolled dish will send someone out the door.

The top five Junior Chefs get an assist from a familiar face: their moms and dads! Working in pairs they must recreate a gorgeous stack of Belgian Waffles in this Skills Test relay race. The first team to ring in with a perfect waffle stack will earn a prize. After saying goodbye to the parents, the judges transport the Junior Chefs back in time to reimagine a childhood favourite dish as a restaurant-quality meal. This may be a dish from their past but it will affect their future, with only four moving onto the semi-finals. The Junior Chef with the least successful dish will say goodbye.

The junior chefs pair-up for their first team Skills Test, which is to cook the judges a perfect plate of eggs benedict. They must cook two perfectly runny poached eggs, a toasted English muffin, seared ham and top it all off with freshly made hollandaise sauce. Then in the Cooking Challenge, it’s a different variety of eggs on the menu: chocolate! The junior chefs hunt throughout the kitchen to find hidden chocolate eggs. Then they have 40 minutes to use the secret ingredient from inside their egg to create a delicious chocolatey dessert. For one junior chef it will mean the end of their sweet journey.

Surrounded by their families and the 11 previously eliminated junior chefs, the top three finalists make a triumphant entrance to the kitchen. For their final Skills Test they have 15 minutes to create a beautiful cold appetizer without access to their ovens or stovetops. The junior chef with the best dish will win dinner at chef Lynn Crawford’s restaurant for them and their family. Then to earn the finale grand prize, the finalists have 40 minutes to showcase the skills they have learned over eight weeks of competition on a single, beautifully composed plate using a luxury protein of their choice. Only one will be named the first Junior Chef Showdown champion and take home the $25,000 prize and a family vacation courtesy of Air Transat!

Nine Junior Chefs enter the kitchen for a sauce battle Skills Test, stirring up one of three classic sauces. After just 15 minutes, the best junior sauciers as determined by the judges will each earn an advantage. Then this week’s Cooking Challenge sees the Junior Chefs give back to a special someone with a dish to express their gratitude. The possibilities are endless and the pantry is fully stocked to inspire the perfect plate. Some will rise to the occasion, but at least one Junior Chef will be sent home

The eight remaining junior chefs roll in the dough in a pasta-filled week in the kitchen. For the Skills Test they must showcase their ability to make fresh pasta dough from scratch and be the first to mix, knead and roll out their dough to a perfect pasta sheet. After careful inspection from the judges, one junior chef receives a luxurious advantage for the next round. Then, fresh ravioli is on the menu for the Cooking Challenge, with the junior chefs using their freshly made pasta sheets to create a perfect ravioli with the filling and sauce of their choice. The junior chef with the weakest dish is sent home

This week begins with the judges sharing the secret to cooking steak to a perfect medium rare. Then it’s up to the seven junior chefs to replicate the technique in only 10 minutes for this week’s Skills Test. Each steak will be cut into and tasted by the judges, who are looking for the best sear, tastiest seasoning and most accurate temperature. Next, the junior chefs take a culinary trip around the world with an international Cooking Challenge. Each selects a suitcase containing ingredients from a different culinary destination and they have 40 minutes to cook up a spectacular international plate. One junior chef is then sent packing.