Kids Who Make Dough

Kid Chefs

Julian Kreusser
If most chefs dream of having their own cooking show by 30, Julian Kreusser has them beat by 24 years. The Portland, Ore., 6-year-old, who started sneaking off to make his own culinary creations at 3, already has his own cable access cooking show called "Big Kitchen with Food." Kreusser's super cute production -- "Let's start the movie!" he shouts at the start of one episode -- features the tiny towheaded chef perched on a stool in his parents' kitchen.

Learn more about Big Kitchen with Food

Kid Chefs

Jack Witherspoon
Diagnosed with childhood leukemia at age 2, Jack Witherspoon spent years in treatment. In the hospital, his favorite thing to pass the time was watching cooking shows on the Food Network. When he got better, he decided, he was going to become a chef. In 2007, Jack's family organized a fundraiser for the California hospital that cared for him. Six-year-old Jack came up with the menu himself and got to help guest chefs prepare the food. The event, called "Cooking up Dreams," was repeated the following year and so far, "Chef Jack" has raised over $60,000 for leukemia research. Last winter Jack finished his treatment, and cooked with Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show." He's now back in school and working on a cookbook with his mother.

Learn more about Jack Witherspoon

Kid Chefs

Emma Potts
This 9-year-old Bonney Lake, Wash., resident (shown here with Food Network star Robin Miller) won the fourth annual Red Robin 'Kids' Cook-Off' Championship with her Spicy Honey Glazed Bacon Burger. Potts beat out 11,000 entries and 10 finalists in Denver on Dec. 3, 2009, crafting the burger, her a blend of honey, ripe red tomato, mayonnaise, bacon, cayenne pepper, butter leaf lettuce and havarti cheese. Her burger will be served at all Red Robin restaurants this summer with the proceeds benefiting the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. "This is a really great burger for people who like sweet and spicy and everything in between!" Emma says.

Learn more about Red Robin's contestants

Kid Chefs

Daphney Thomas
This young chef has been cooking since she was 2, and her Double Dilly of a Burger won the first "Fan Favorite" award at the fourth annual Red Robin 'Kids' Cook-Off' Championship in Denver on Dec. 3, 2009. "It is simple, not too messy and who doesn't like a good dill pickle?" she says. The sandwich -- two sirloin patties, provolone cheese, deep fried dill pickles, lettuce, mustard and dill mayonnaise on an onion bun -- won 3,127 online votes out of 14,240 votes cast. She says her grandmother's fried dill pickles help inspire her entry.

Learn more about Red Robin's contestants

Kid Chefs

Greg Grossman
Eighth-grader Greg Grossman might be on his way to becoming the youngest celebrity chef in the country. The Long Island prodigy is only 14 years old, but there's nothing childlike about his food; he's into chow like smoked lobster tails and sake foam. And according to people in the food world, he's no novelty act. Greg has been catering tony Hamptons parties for the last few summers and lately he's been palling around with culinary bigwigs. He's also been taping episodes of a reality show that's currently being shopped around to the networks.

Kid Chefs

Kids Can Cook
One night at the beginning of last year, Johanna Linson asked her mom for an unusual present: a cooking show. Whenever it was time to make dinner, 6-year-old Johanna always loved to pretend she was on TV. Kristina Linson didn't know much about TV, but she though it was a good idea. So she called up the cable station in her St. Louis suburb, and pitched her idea on voice mail. Turns out, the station manager thought it was a good idea too. So did the local gas company, which offered a shiny new test kitchen to use as a set. Johanna's older brother and two neighboring families got involved. The whole gang have produced eight episodes of "Kids Can Cook," featuring treats like pizza sandwiches and oatmeal blueberry bars.

Learn more about Kids Can Cook

Kid Chefs

Catherine Ralston
Children across America have been playing with the Easy-Bake Oven since the toy was first introduced in 1963. This year, though, the Hasbro company decided to show the world what the light-bulb-powered appliance could really do. They sponsored their first Baker of the Year competition, open to kids who wanted to show off original culinary creations. In May 2009, 12-year-old Catherine Ralston was named champ in Ohio. Catherine's "Queen of Hearts Strawberry Tart," made with fresh berries and sugar cookie mix, earned her a food-themed trip to San Francisco.

Learn more about Hasbro's Baker of the Year

Kid Chefs

Aaron Ware
When 11-year-old Aaron Ware (pictured on the right) was diagnosed with depression after his twin brother (on the left) Eric's death from cancer, his pediatrician prescribed mixing bowls rather than medication. The D.C.-area boy told his doctor he loved to bake, and she suggested he create a business plan.

Go to the next slide for the rest of Aaron's story.

Kid Chefs

Aaron Ware
Ware's passion was also his talent, and he and his brother Bryce (pictured on the left) now bake and sell chocolate chip, butterscotch, and black-and-white cookies to friends and family under the name Doughjangles, donating part of the proceeds to cancer charities like the Casey Cares Foundation.

Kid Chefs

Neal Ely
Many kids barely even bother finishing their school projects, but they aren't Neal Ely. After watching crowds picking wild asparagus, the fourth generation farmer decided to work on a plan to plant the crop in his family's Nebraska fields, selling the yield at farmers' markets. That was a hit, and his next move was marketing his mom's asparagus pickles, which he now sells, along with pickled peppers, online at elyfarms.com and to more than 100 stores in the Midwest.

Learn more about Ely Farms

Kid Chefs