Jasmine Bell aka Chef JJ Mastermind developed Kirkgate Kitchen out of her desire to be a World Renowned Chef and Culinary Entrepreneur. Her passion for all things culinary started at a young age. Her Grandmother, Regina (GiGi), Aunt, Annissa (Ann) and mother, Sherritta paved the way for Jasmine to excel in the culinary world. Through family gatherings, catering, and a strong commitment to education, there was always an opportunity to learn how to cook from the heart. Those defining moments sparked an interest in a career in Culinary Arts.
Jasmine was born and raised in Charlotte, NC. Most of her life has been spent in a small suburban neighborhood on "Kirkgate Lane." This is where Jasmine said "It all began." She attends a Middle College in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and is an Honor Roll student. She has always loved being creative and designing just about anything from dresses for her dolls to costumes for plays at her Middle School. Jasmine loves to play pranks on family members, especially her brother John. Her goal was to plot the greatest prank and outsmart him. She would research practical jokes and strategize a plan. Looking from the outside in, she was like a little mad scientist. Thus, her Uncle Spanky (Carlton), coined the name "JJ Mastermind." The name stuck and as her focus changed from fashion design and pranks to cooking, she added Chef to JJ Mastermind.
During the Summer of 2015, Jasmine attended a local Summer Camp sponsored by Above and Beyond Students, housed at Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology. It was there that her true passion was ignited. The STEM Summer Camp featured academics and interest clubs. Each morning was filled with science, technology, engineering and math. The afternoons were a treat because students were able to choose clubs based on their passions (culinary, chess, gaming, sports, art, forensics) and Jasmine chose culinary. Andrew Howard and Andy Wertz taught the culinary classes with style and featured dishes from around the world. Jasmine wanted more!
Jasmine was in search of a new challenge and she found it. Classroom Central, a local non-profit organization sponsored a kids cooking competition as its annual fundraising event. Jasmine submitted her answer to a questionnaire about her love of food and cooking and she was invited to compete in the Educate Your Palate "Coolinary Kids Challenge". She was teamed up with a local high school student and they were mentored by local Rooster's Uptown Executive Chef Zack Renner, This was Jasmine's first experience in a commercial kitchen. Their team prepared Savory Butternut Squash Cream Puffs and Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows. They were a crowd favorite.
As her wheels began to turn, she began researching local classes for kids. She stumbled upon Williams Sonoma. It was there she met Eric Edman, a compassionate and super knowledgeable manager of the Huntersville, NC store. He immediately took Jasmine under his wing and began teaching her skills beyond her wildest dreams. She made her first batch of fresh pasta under his leadership. He taught her about quality ingredients, specialty tools and introduced her to Ayesha Curry, author and host of Food Network's Ayesha's Homemade.
Jasmine didn't stop there. She attended Chef's Choice classes at Johnson and Wales University, Kid's Classes at The City Kitch and Sur La Table. Little did she know, she was preparing for one of the greatest opportunities she could ever undertake at age 11, an audition for MasterChef Junior. Months before the audition, her aunt Eva reach out to her family and suggested that Jasmine audition based on her social media posts of her dishes. Jasmine was a little hesitant, but decided she wanted to step up to the challenge. Her family traveled to Atlanta, GA and began the audition process. Thousands of young aspiring chefs turned out for auditions in several states. Jasmine was invited to Los Angeles, CA to audition for a Top 40 spot. To prep for her audition, she enlisted the assistance of local chef, Manual Cordray, former Executive Chef of Firebird's Restaurant and current Owner of Catering by Cordre'. They were a force to be reckoned with. He first explained his stipulations and requirements. Jasmine was required to sign a contract which in short ensured that she remained an in good standing academically and maintain good behavior and respect at home. As her mentor, he taught her culinary vocabulary, how to properly hold a knife, cutting and sauteing skills, plating and much more. In his home kitchen, Jasmine had to study and was able to create one of her favorite dishes, "Salmon Croquettes, over a Tri-color Fingerling Potato Hash, with Red Wine Tomato Sauce, topped with an Over Easy Egg and Turkey Bacon."
After weeks of one-on-one sessions, Jasmine was ready to travel to LA to compete for her spot in the Top 40. When it was all said and done, she was a MasterChef Junior Season 5 finalist. Her dreams had come true. Jasmine appeared as "Jazzy" on Season 5 which aired February 9, 2017 on FOX. She was featured in Episodes 1 and 2. Jasmine was a fierce competitor and baked "Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Icing and garnished with Chocolate Hearts and Reese' Peanut Butter Cups." Jasmine was eliminated at the end of episode 2, however she left with many honors. Those include to being the first and only contestant from NC, being able to say that Gordon Ramsey and Christina Tosi had eaten her food, and being on the MasterChef Junior set. But most importantly she gained a host of new friends and fans.
Since Jasmine's appearance on MasterChef Junior, Jasmine kept busy with local appearances, interviews and volunteer work. She has appeared on FOX 46's Good Day Charlotte, WBTV's Bounce TV, FOX 8 in High Point and Time Warner Cable News 14. FOr nearly 2 years, Jasmine spent most of her Friday and Saturday nights volunteering at Heirloom Restaurant, a local farm-to-table restaurant formally owned by Chef Clark Barlowe. Jasmine met Chef Clarke at The Art Institute of Charlotte while completing a Culinary Explorer's Program. He and his team adopted Jasmine as a family member of the restaurant team. There, she has been able to learn about the restaurant industry, learn professional cooking techniques and how to create impressive desserts with Pastry Chef Ann Marie Stefaney. On May 30, 2017, Chef Clarke offered a 5 Course Tasting Menu created in collaboration with Jasmine at Heirloom Restaurant.
In October of 2017, Jasmine competed on the Emmy nominated show Top Chef Jr. on Universal Kids. She along with 11 other very talented young chefs, cooked for renowned chef and celebrities as they competed to be the chosen one. Episodes aired on Spectrum channel 255, Direct TV channel 295, U-Verse channel 337 or 1337, CableVision channel 130 locally. Jasmine made top 5 on the show, but walked away with experiences that will last a lifetime.