When MasterChef Junior returns for its seventh season on Tuesday night, award-winning chef/owner of New Orleans’ Johnny Sánchez restaurant, Aarón Sánchez, will be returning as a judge, along with host/judge Gordon Ramsay and judge Christina Tosi, as 24 kids between the ages of 8 and 13 get the chance to showcase their culinary abilities and passion for food through a series of delicious challenges.

“The talent level and how prepared these young people are when they come into the MasterChef kitchen is really phenomenal,” Sánchez told Parade.com in this exclusive interview. “We have 12 boys and 12 girls from all different backgrounds and different cities across the country. So, I think they really do exemplify the diversity and the fun that young people have for food nowadays.”

This season the chef-testants will attend and prepare a meal for 51 circus performers, create a restaurant-quality fish dish, compete to see which team finishes first in rolling out a perfect sheet of pasta to 24 feet and power through the fan-favorite pop-up restaurant challenge.

“I’m just really impressed how kids are using cooking as a creative outlet for themselves and understanding from an early age the importance of feeding others and how much joy that brings them,” Sánchez added. “The cool thing about it is that we’re not treating them like kids per se. We’re treating them as young chefs and seeing what they’ve got with all these different challenges, restaurant takeovers, and really taking advantage of their youthful exuberance.”

Following is more of our conversation with the award-winning chef and cookbook author:

(CR: FOX)

I noticed there are a lot of New Yorkers.

Yes. There are a fair amount of New Yorkers, which is interesting because you think of New York as having small kitchens, you think cramped spaces, and you don’t necessarily think of it as this place where a lot of people cook. That was really what was exciting to see.

Occasionally, you, Gordon or Christina demonstrate how to make something before a challenge, figuring that the kids won’t be familiar with it. But I remember Gerron Hurt talking on regular MasterChef about practicing before he came to compete. So, is that something that you recommend to the kids, to practice different things before they come to the show?

Absolutely. I recommend it not just for the children, but I recommend it for the adults, as well. You have to remember with these MasterChef Junior contestants, you have some who are 8 years old. We had five 8-year-olds, and I have an 8-year-old son, and the funny thing is for a chef, my 8-year-old doesn’t really dig the kitchen that much yet, and some of these kids at 8, 9, and 10 years old have already been cooking for five years, making prep dishes, making cookies, doing all that with their folks. So, they do come in here with a fair amount of experience and presence.

What is always surprising is the level at which these kids can cook with fancy sauces and the like.

Absolutely. Again, if young people focus on cooking instead of video games or other things that could be a distraction, it’s amazing how much they can get accomplished, how much they learn and absorb, and remember technique.

What’s the most common mistake that they make in the kitchen?

I think the biggest thing is underestimating how long things take to cook. Chicken, for instance, would be a big one, and pork chops. Then another big issue is the seasoning. You know, when is there enough salt? When should you back off on the spices? But that is really something that just takes experience. One of the things that we’ve always worked with them on is making sure that they taste, and watch, and monitor the evolution of the dish.

One of the things that we’ve already learned about them is what their signature dishes are. There is a 9-year-old girl Nayeli and her signature dish is cheese enchiladas. That’s right up your alley. How do you think she did?

Nayeli grew up in a Mexican-American household. I could totally relate to that, and I love the fact that she came in with enchiladas, tacos, and quesadillas, and all those things that I learned how to make when I was a child her age. I love to see that reverence and love for traditional Mexican dishes.

Were there any other standout dishes that come to your mind?

Oh, man, there were tons. I think little Aaron made a really beautiful lemon cake and he was a young man who had never baked before. It was his first cake that he ever made, and it was really special. So, I remember Aaron’s cake.

You mentioned being the father of an 8-year-old yourself. What is the best part of mentoring these young kids?

The best part of mentoring young kids is preparing them and reinforcing their love for food. I think one of the most gratifying parts of this whole competition is we’re creating little foodies. We’re helping improve the quality of good cooking for generations to come, and that’s really rewarding, and that makes me feel good that we’re showing the importance of food, breaking bread, and helping them understand the importance of sharing meals with folks.

And is there a bad part of it?

No, there’s never a bad part of mentoring. Never. I don’t get frustrated. Maybe because Gordon and I are parents and we understand the patience level it takes with kids, how they retain information and how long it takes to improve, so I never get frustrated.

I thought you might say, “When we have to say goodbye to them because they cry or they are trying not to cry.”

That part, saying goodbye to them is definitely the most difficult, and the thing is, it’s a disappointment emotionally because we all have hearts. We don’t want to hurt a young person when we know how fragile and emotionally susceptible they could be. So, that’s the one part that really stinks. I agree.

What don’t we see that happens off camera? Can you let us in on any secrets?

I think the most important part is that they’re always accompanied by a parent and they have to go to school when they’re not shooting. I think that’s one thing that people forget. We have them for three months or two and a half months, so they still have to go to school. So every time they’re not on camera, they’re hitting the books. They’re continuing to be little people continuing with their education. They’re getting the traditional education, the academics, and then they’re getting the food education with us.

What’s really nice is when you see the kids and they’re in a competitive situation, they all seem to be supportive of each other. So maybe going to school together has something to do with that.

Yes, I agree. I think the school setting has prepared them to have great camaraderie and allows them to root for one another, which is great to see.

So this is season seven, and every season you’ve had these really great contestants. What does that say to you about the future of culinary arts?

I think it’s amazing. I think the fact that you have younger and younger people investing time into cooking and there’s culinary camps. Now you have children that are 9 years old going to a Michelin star restaurant. You have kids going to farmers’ markets every weekend with their parents and buying fresh, local produce. This is all good stuff. It really points to the culinary field being that much more enriched by future talent.

Do parents ever say to you, “My kids watched and now they want to cook?”

MasterChef Junior has been a definite launching pad for a lot of people’s interest, and it is also the launching pad for a lot of these kids’ little businesses. They have a little cupcake business on the side, or they make their own little beef jerky, or whatever it is. This is sometimes that little catapult thing that they needed.

When you were younger, how do you think you would have done on a cooking show like this, because, to me, it’s really a lot of pressure?

I think I would’ve done well. I grew up in a restaurant family. My mom was a chef, so I’ve been cooking from a very young age. So, I think I would’ve excelled in this program, to be very honest.

So Gordon has admitted to eating at In-N-Out Burger. Do you have a guilty fast food pleasure?

Oh, absolutely. I love the fried chicken sandwiches at Popeye’s.

MasterChef Junior premieres its seventh season on Tuesday, March 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.