Baton Rouge’s Avery Kyle halfway through ‘MasterChef Junior’ competition

Now officially halfway through the MasterChef Junior competition, Baton Rouge’s Avery Kyle has high hopes for the remainder of the season.

The top 14 contestants were faced with a challenge familiar to most kids—making lemonade. Except these are the most talented young chefs in the country, so they were tasked with making gourmet lemonade.

Split into two teams of seven, the contestants had seven minutes to make a well-balanced raspberry mint lemonade from scratch, simple syrup and all. No team captains were assigned, so Kyle says she immediately stepped up.

“Sam and I sort of took the lead and started assigning everybody jobs,” she says. “I was mainly on the simple syrup, making sure it didn’t burn, but I watched and made sure everything else was going OK.”

Kyle’s team, though made up of most of the younger competitors, wowed judge Christina Tosi with a balanced and flavorful lemonade and was exempt from the elimination challenge.

Kyle was relieved to be exempt, albeit a little disappointed because the surf ‘n’ turf elimination challenge is one she would have “totally rocked out.”

If she did have to participate, Kyle says she would have made a sliced fillet and butter-poached lobster with a butter sauce and roasted potatoes or a steak and lobster couscous to pay homage to her Louisiana heritage.

The 9-year-old culinary wunderkind says she is looking forward to the rest of the MasterChef Junior season.

“It feels amazing to be in the top 12,”  she says. “I think I can make it pretty far at this point, but I do have some tough competitors.”