Where is the winner of 'MasterChef Junior' Season 8 now? Liya Chu plans to open a 'sushi and hibachi' restaurant
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Liya Chu who is currently 15 years old, won 'MasterChef Junior' Season 8 in 2022. She was just 10 years old when the reality show started filming and the shoot was delayed due to the pandemic for three long years.
She was crowned as the winner of the show during the finale which aired on June 23, 2022, on Fox.
The winner of 'MasterChef Junior' Season 8, Liya Chu cooked amazing dishes throughout the season which included, fileting a salmon in less than 15 minutes, marinating and cooking steak, making jalapeno poppers, Scotch eggs, and donut holes.
She also cooked pork dumplings with a salt and pepper blue prawn and spicy aioli that she learned from her mother.
The judges Gordon Ramsay, Aaron Sanchez, and Daphne Oz seemed thoroughly impressed with her cooking talent. In the finale episode, her Spiced Duck Breast with Scallion Pancakes, Miso Eggplant, and dessert Panna Cotta impressed the judges.
The runner-up of the show was Texas-based Grayson Price. She also planned to open a hibachi and sushi restaurant when she grows older. Liya celebrated her 15th birthday on August 20, 2023.
After winning the title of 'MasterChef Junior Season 8, the finalists went on a 'MasterChef Junior Live Tour which started on September 17, 2022 and continued till October 15, 2022.
She posts delicious cookies, cakes, and different Taiwanese food on her Instagram.
Apart from that, she is often seen vacationing with friends and family. She is presently a sophomore at Scarsdel High School and will graduate high school in 2026.
She is mostly busy with studies and attended a speaking tournament at Yale University and was placed 10th. She also participated in the 2023 New York State Junior Amateur Golf Tournament in Lake Placid, New York. Her brother Leo Chu reached the fifth position.
'MasterChef Junior' Season 8 winner Liya Chu plans to save prize amount for college and family
Liya Chu received $100,000 in prize money, which she planned to save for college and as well as a trip with her family. Liya is quite attached to her family she stated to USA Today, "Without my family, I wouldn't have learned as much or even started cooking in the kitchen to begin with." She continued, "So I want to do something for them."
She credited her parents for supporting her passion. Her parents Iwen Chu and Auston Chu, own Fantasy Cuisine in Hartsdale and Dumpling Plus Noodle in Bronxville.
What are the future plans of 'MasterChef Junior' Season 8 winner Liya Chu?
'MasterChef Junior' Season 8 winner Liya Chu mentioned to US Today that she wanted to open up a restaurant that served hibachi and sushi. She'd prefer to own a restaurant and bakery that would use ingredients from her garden. She wants to deliver the best to her customers.
Her entrepreneurial skills might have come from her parents who own Fantasy Cuisine in Hartsdale and Dumpling Plus Noodle in Bronxville. She had grown up seeing her parents as restaurant owners. She also cooked a few dishes in 'MasterChef' that she learned from her mother.
Even though she is busy with studies and golf, she is often seen posting cooking and baking videos on Instagram. She plans to use her social media to use it as a tool for popularizing baking and also Taiwanese cuisine.
Why did 'MasterChef Junior' Season 8 winner Liya Chu meet Taiwanese President
After winning 'MasterChef Junior Season 8, Liya Chu got an incredible chance to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen not once, but twice.
She was welcomed by the president and celebrities like chef Andre Chiang when she visited Taiwan for her family vacation. They cooked soy honey glazed eel and vermicelli with a ginger vinaigrette.
She posted a sweet picture of them on Instagram on September 8, 2022. They met for the second time and Liya made Taiwanese Tapioca balls for the president on her visit to New York on March 31, 2022.
Watch 'MasterChef Junior' Season 9 on March 4, 2024, at 8 pm ET on Fox and the next day on Hulu. The episodes will stream weekly every Monday.