At the age of 3, most children are just learning to form sentences, build simple puzzles or ride a tricycle.
When he was 3 years old, Cherry Hill resident Dylan Marcus was already exploring the basics of cooking.
“The first time I can remember cooking was when I was 3. I take the cereal and then milk chocolate and put it in on the cereal and make cereal bars,” Marcus said.
Now, at the age of 13, Dylan has expanded his cooking talents to dozens of different foods. Just last month, he got a chance to show off his talents on national television.
Dylan appeared on the Food Network program “Chopped Junior.” This show pits four young chefs between the ages of 9 and 15 in a competition where they have to create an appetizer, entree and dessert using mystery ingredients. A panel of judges decides on a winner, who takes home a prize of $10,000. Dylan’s episode premiered on Food Network on Dec. 15.
Dylan describes himself as a creative cook. Over the course of his childhood, he gradually learned how to cook better and more elaborate dishes.
“I just expanded my knowledge,” he said. “I got to the point where I could do my own stuff.”
Dylan’s favorite dishes to cook are with pasta, all of which he makes from scratch.
“I like making homemade pasta a lot,” he said, “For Thanksgiving, I like making pies or this apple turnover.”
Dylan first applied to be on another Food Network show called “Rachel vs. Guy: Kids Cook Off.” He wasn’t selected, but remained on a casting email list. A little bit later, he saw openings for “Chopped Junior” and decided to try to get on that show.
Dylan found out about his selection on his birthday, July 18.
“It was pretty awesome,” he said. “I didn’t really expect to get on it. I wasn’t getting my hopes up too high.”
Dylan’s episode was filmed on Aug. 9. He described the experience as nerve-wracking, because of the filming process and the actual competition. The contestants don’t have a concrete knowledge of what they will be cooking prior to the episode.
For Dylan, the mystery ingredients were only a small hurdle, as he is used to cooking original and new dishes.
“I despise recipes,” he said.
Dylan used his creativity to get past the first round, where contestants had to create a dish using mussels, coconut milk, hot pepper jellybeans and squid jerky.
“You realize you only have to make one or two dishes you know pretty well,” Dylan said. “You know what would taste good together.”
Dylan would later be eliminated following the entree round. Despite losing, he was not disappointed with his performance.
“Before I even got there, I just didn’t want to lose the first round,” he said. “I was fine by then. I knew I was going to get chopped.”
For the episode’s Dec. 15 airing, Dylan had a viewing party with his friends. He said it was fun to go back and see how he did over the summer.
Dylan wants to continue cooking and creating new dishes at home. However, he said cooking is just a hobby and not something he’s looking at as a career.
“It’s just a hobby,” he said. “It’s fun to cook and everything.”
