A Port Richmond teen brings his Philly flavor — and swagger — to ‘MasterChef Junior’ | Helen Ubiñas

I’m not saying that I should get all the credit for discovering Freddy Taylor exactly. But I did get a taste of his Philadelphia charm long before TV chef Gordon Ramsay and most people watching the latest season of MasterChef Junior, which premiered March 17 on Fox.

Back in 2018, when I turned my attention — and iPhone camera — on Freddy, he was one of many adorable kids at the Portside Arts Center, a beloved Port Richmond community hub. I was there to write about the center, which then faced an uncertain financial future, with the hope of getting them some much-needed support.

Even back then, Freddy was a standout — a 10-year-old wisecracking entrepreneur who made extra pocket money by upselling Slim Jims to his fellow schoolkids at nearby Mother of Divine Grace School.

Turns out, Freddy was also a budding chef who got his appreciation for food while his single dad brought him and his younger brother along his route for the family restaurant supply business, Frederick & Son Knife & Slicer Co.

The Taylor men would regularly visit restaurants in and around the city, and it was on these trips that Freddy came into contact with all kinds of foodies, including Beth Esposito, of Pink Garlic, who would later become his mentor. (“You gotta learn how to take it on the chin,” she advised her protégé, a lesson that would come in handy on the show.)

While Freddy’s younger brother, Dylan, was happy to sidle up to the bar for a Shirley Temple, their father Fred recalled, Freddy would head behind the line to chat up everyone in the kitchen and sample food he’d sometimes later try to recreate at home; though a perfectly cooked medium-rare steak remains his staple.

“It was a joy because, at a very young age, he showed a lot of skill,” he said.

So when someone from MasterChef Junior called Portside a few years back looking for Philly kids who liked to cook, the teachers at the arts center instantly thought of Freddy.

“Freddy always came in with really cool recipes,” said Kim Creighton, the founder of Portside. “Talking about, ‘Hey, Miss Kim, look what I made for my dad last night.’ We just always tried to encourage him by telling him, ‘You’re going to do something great one day, Freddy!’”

After a failed attempt to be cast in the show in 2018, Freddy went on to beat out thousands of applicants to compete in Los Angeles against 50 budding chefs in a cook-off back in 2019. That final 50 was then dwindled down to the 16 “chef-testants” between the ages of 8 and 13, who are competing for the title, a trophy, and $100,000 in prize money.

But there’s some TV magic at play there. The eighth season was actually filmed in 2019 and was supposed to premiere the following year, but COVID-19 delayed the release.

Freddy can’t say much about the show — spoilers, you know — but regardless of the result, he and his father said the filming was an unforgettable experience. Neither father nor son had ever been to California. In addition to competing, they recalled grabbing dollar hot dogs at a game between the Dodgers and the Phillies and visiting Rodeo Drive and Santa Monica Pier.

Freddy, now 14, made an impressive debut in the first episode.

“I can cook all kinds of food because all different kinds of chefs taught me,” Freddy confidently tells Ramsay at one point.

But the promos for upcoming episodes hint at what made him a contender.

I admit to some bias here, but Freddy all but cements his position as the next Gordon Ramsay when the kids are asked what to do if they run out of sugar. Most opine about substituting honey and various other sweeteners.

Freddy, though, offers a distinctly Philly answer.

“You’re screwed,” he says, while giggles can be heard off camera.

In another promo, Freddy takes a shine to Ramsay’s 20-year-old daughter Tilly Ramsay, who served as a guest judge on an episode.

“What do you think of American boys?” he coyly asks, while a clearly amused Ramsay chides him: “You’re here to cook, not flirt!”

After waiting so long for the show to air, Freddy is finally able to enjoy the fame.

He was recently a guest on Good Day Philadelphia, and he’s scheduled to participate in Port Richmond’s upcoming 175th birthday festival. Now when he’s out and about, people recognize him.

“People want to take pictures with me,” he said when we met at Portside last week.

After making it through the first episode, Freddy is now one of this season’s final 15 contestants. The next episode airs Thursday.

A lot has changed for Freddy since I first met him. He’s a high school freshman now. His family recently moved to South Jersey, and while he still likes to cook — ever-the-entrepreneur — he’s expanding his repertoire of interests to include sneaker resales and, get this, stocks.

Picture it: Today — MasterChef Junior. Tomorrow — the world.