Meet Henry Hummeldorf, the Katy fifth grader competing on ‘MasterChef Junior’
By Julia Davila
Henry Hummeldorf is competing for the title of FOX’s MasterChef Junior, Season 6. The MayDell Jenks fifth grader will put his skills to work in the kitchen with world-famous chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsey, Christina Tosi and Joe Bastianich. Hummeldorf was selected out of thousands of kids, ages 8-13, to compete for a chance to win $100,000. In the two-hour premiere, Hummeldorf and the other competitors will be challenged with making a chicken breast while the girls are going to perfect a medium-rare filet mignon.
Hummeldorf, also known as “Kid Chef Henry,” has been helping his mom in the kitchen since he was five years old. “The first thing I remember cooking was a tres leches which it was actually from a book of Emeril [Lagasse],” said Hummeldorf. “It was really good, and we kept on making it because it was super good. My mom had to help me a lot when I was really young, but now I can make it all by myself.”
Kid Chef Henry says a crucial utensil to have in the kitchen is a knife, but not just any knife, a chef’s knife. “There are so many things you can do with [that] one knife. Most people think it’s just for chopping, [but it’s not],” said Hummeldorf. His go-to dishes are Tex-Mex, especially guacamole. Kid Chef Henry also enjoys fresh seafood and BBQ.
With Tex-Mex being a staple at the Hummeldorf house, creating a hot sauce felt natural. Kid Chef Henry ranked his is signature hot sauce, “HotHead Henry” a five or six, on a scale of one to ten. “I like spicy food a lot, and you know, [being] from Texas, it’s all about the spice.” Hummeldorf uses Fresno Chili peppers because he thinks “they taste better [than jalapeños], and they’re really smoky.” He uses his signature hot sauce on tacos, eggs, meat and so much more.
“HotHead Henry” won first place in the Fort Bend County Fair. On Saturday mornings, you can find Kid Chef Henry and his hot sauce at the Grand Parkway Farmer’s Market. He also sells his signature spice rub, if that’s more your style. His hot sauces can also be found at Whiskey Cake in Katy and online at, www.hotheadhenry.com.
MasterChef Junior Season 6 airs on FOX Friday, March 2, 2018, at 8 p.m. (CST).
