Yakima’s Asher Niles Ready for the Spotlight on Masterchef Junior

Residents in Washington state have plenty of love for Yakima Valley celebrity Chef Shawn Niles, and now his young son with an infectious smile, Asher, is making his stamp on the national culinary world at age EIGHT!

If he looks familiar, that's because young Chef Niles and his dad hosted a cooking demonstration at the Central Washington State Fair back in September!

Get our free mobile app

Cooking genius runs in the family!

Asher Niles is all about sharing love for his community and cooking great food for the soul, just like his dad! He announced on his Facebook page this week that he was chosen to be a contestant on the national hit TV show, Masterchef Junior. This is the ninth season of the show.

Get our free mobile app

When my daughter Willow was 10, we had bingewatched one of the Masterchef Junior seasons together on Hulu. She told me she wanted to be on the show someday so that she "could cook something for Chef Gordon Ramsay." She also used to judge my cooking as if she was Chef Ramsay. My food was never up to fluff for her, ha!

Asher's dad, also known in international culinary circles as The Fat Pastor, was a contestant on Masterchef over seven years ago.!He often shares Facebook videos and personal photos of him sharing his love of traveling, cooking, baking, and mushroom foraging with his wife, Tenille, and Asher.

I first met Asher two years ago when I was honored to be asked to judge one of Chef Shawn's wild Bite Club Throwdown cooking championship events. Asher was there with his mom and other family members to cheer on his dad at the festivities. My daughter, Willow, was invited to sit with Asher and his family at their table. She quickly took a liking to Asher and, because she loves taking pictures with her phone, she snapped a few of him as they dined on Black Bear barbacoa soft tacos, Duck rillettes with orange chutney, a rhubarb cake, and more!

We were driving home from the store yesterday when I told Willow the fantastic news about Asher going on Masterchef Junior. She screamed with excitement from the back seat of our car.

"I can't wait to brag to my friends about this! I just love Asher! What day does the show come on?" she said.

We Washingtonians can't wait to cheer Asher on! Catch him and his new young friends as they cook their way to the top of Masterchef Junior, Season 9, beginning March 4th, on your local Fox Broadcasting Company channel.

Asher talks about his hometown love for Yakima!

SEE ALSO: Bite Club Yakima Throwdown Crowns Yakima Chef an Entry to World Food Championships