This Scottsdale teen competed on a James Beard Award-winning cooking show. Here's how to watch

Jonmaesha Beltran, Arizona Republic
·2 min read
Scottsdale mother-son duo Bobbie Lopez and Jack Cruickshank compete in season one of Top Chef Family Style.
Scottsdale mother-son duo Bobbie Lopez and Jack Cruickshank compete in season one of Top Chef Family Style.
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When Monti Carlo, a TV personality and chef, announced the winner of the 2022 James Beard Award for the reality or competition visual media category on June 11, two group chats — one for the prodigies and another for the adults — exploded.

Top Chef Family Style, a new spinoff of the Top Chef cooking competition series, had won after its first season.

The competition showcases 13 budding chefs who put their skills to the test with the help of a family member and metro Phoenix teen, Jack Cruickshank had competed in the debut season.

Meet Jack Cruickshank and Bobbie Lopez: Scottsdale family on Top Chef

Grammy Award-winning musician Meghan Trainor hosts Top Chef Family Style with James Beard. Award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson serves as head judge.
Grammy Award-winning musician Meghan Trainor hosts Top Chef Family Style with James Beard. Award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson serves as head judge.

'It’s the show that keeps giving'

The thought of being on an award-winning show never crossed Cruickshank’s mind. The 13-year-old from Scottsdale and his mother Bobbie Lopez entered the competition simply hoping he would receive feedback and validation from high-profile chefs.

"When I was doing the show and cooking, I never thought about winning a James Beard award," Cruickshank said. "It never like popped to my mind that I could be a winner for it."

Cruickshank’s passion for cooking started when he was five years old. The following year, he was in a cooking class, learning how to properly hold a knife. The next year, he was experimenting at home with new ingredients.

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As Cruickshank set out to accomplish his goals on the series, he created friendships that would last a lifetime. “It’s the show that keeps giving,” he said.

Lopez added that the “award is really a testament to the bond” the children created.

“We were super supportive of each other,” Lopez said. “And where we could help each other out we did.

You can watch season one of Top Chef Family Style on Peacock, the streaming service from NBCUniversal.

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Reach the reporter at Jonmaesha.Beltran@gannett.com or on Twitter @Jonmaesha.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Top Chef Family Style contestants celebrate James Beard win