Photo by Wes Roberts.

Beni Cwiakala, age 12, and winner of TV's Master Chef Junior Season 6, was on hand to teach aspiring young local chefs the tricks of the trade this past Saturday morning as part of a special culinary weekend hosted by Element Modern Mediterranean Grill in Downtown Sarasota. The restaurant was converted into a make-shift culinary studio for about a dozen young food connoisseurs ages 9 to 12 years who gathered to learn how to craft Chef Beni's signature recipe for crepes. 

Chef Beni told SRQ DAILY that she chose crepes to demonstrate for the youth master class because, "they are simple to learn and once you know how, you can make them forever, like riding a bicycle. And they can be both sweet and savory, so you have a lot of options with them."

As the gas burners lit up and crepe pans started to sizzle, Chef Beni walked around the room sharing enthusiastic accolades such as "gorgeous!" when she saw crepes getting perfectly browned and flipped. While the young chefs watched Beni attentively as they mastered creating perfect, warm discs of happiness slathered with whipped cream, berries and Nutella—it seemed the adults were the only ones who were star-struck.

Chef Beni's father Mark Cwiakala was on hand to support his daughter for the special culinary weekend produced by the team at Element. "We've been treated so well. Not everyone gets that Beni is a kid too. They really have taken care of her."

As the demonstration came to to close, Beni shared the custom wooden crepe tools that the students would now be taking home with them, along with a professional crepe pan, encouraging them to upgrade their rubber spatulas. "I think it's more diffcult [to use the wooden ones] and when you're learning, sometimes it's better to use more challenging tools," she said.

In addition to the cooking demonstration for kids Saturday morning, Chef Beni also worked with the Element culinary team throughout this past weekend, creating a custom dinner service and chatting with guests about her experiences on Master Chef Junior.

Photo by Wes Roberts.