Becoming a master chef: Frisco resident competes on MasterChef show

Frisco resident Audrey McGinnis may not be a sous chef at a four-star restaurant, but that won't stop her from attempting to lay claim to the title of master chef. McGinnis is competing on the show MasterChef, which airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on Fox.

The show features contestants competing for a $250,000 grand prize. McGinnis is one of 100 contestants chosen from more than 30,000 applicants. The show features three celebrity judges: chefs Gordon Ramsay and Graham Elliot and restaurateur Joe Bastianich.

"I'm a total foodie," McGinnis, a mother of four, said. "I've been doing custom cakes here in Frisco for about eight years, and my family and I are always watching food shows. When I came across MasterChef I was drawn in, knowing who Gordon Ramsay is. Every episode I just felt like, 'Oh, this is what I would've done,' and my kids would tell me, 'Mom, you could've done that.'"

At the end of last season, McGinnis saw the show was looking for contestants for its next season and knew she had to apply. She first auditioned for the show November in Austin, then was informed in February that she was selected as a contestant.

"In Austin you had to show up with a cooked meal, and I got lucky because I have some friends who live in a suburb not too far from Austin," she said. "So I was able to stay at their house overnight and cook at my leisure."

For her audition, McGinnis cooked beef tenderloin with Hatch green chilies, mushroom and leek stuffing, and port wine cream sauce. Brussels sprouts and garlic mashed potatoes were served as sides.

After being informed she was selected to appear on the show, McGinnis flew to Los Angeles to compete in front of Ramsay, Elliot and Bastianich. Things didn't go smoothly, however, as she ran into cooling issues with the cakes she presented.

"They showed me getting my apron on [the June 5] episode, and I can't say enough about the judges," McGinnis said. "There were opportunities for them to be harsh to some people on their cooking. They could've been harsh with me because my cakes were a disaster. That was the first thing that I told them when I strolled in, I told them, 'I'm getting ready to serve you a hot mess.'"

Despite the cooling issues, Ramsay, Elliot and Bastianich all responded enthusiastically to the cakes McGinnis prepared, McGinnis said.

"They didn't show the whole 20 minutes I was in there with the judges on the show," she explained. "But it was such a pleasure to interact with them because they came down and tasted the cake and loved it. I was thrilled beyond measure when all three of them continued to interact with me and eat cake while we were talking."

The judges liked McGinnis's cakes so much they awarded her the show's signature apron. She was one of only six contestants to receive a vote from all three judges (two judges' votes are needed receive an apron). The three also provided her with constructive criticism, but her favorite moment actually came after her interaction with the judges.

"I was really even more thrilled after the fact," McGinnis said. "They've shown some commercials showing them after [our interaction] with Gordon biting the head of a statue I did for him and all the judges continuing to eat my cakes -- that happened after I left, meaning they were eating more cake after I left the set."

McGinnis's interest in cooking is something she learned in a family with multiple talented cooks. Growing up, her father cooked birthday cakes for all her birthday parties. Both her mother and mother-in-law have also helped her learn new techniques along the way as well, McGinnis said.

"My mother-in-law and my mother are both really good cooks," she said. "My dad is the one that started doing my birthday cakes, and those were so special to me. Those are the things I remember from my birthday parties. I don't remember what games we played or what presents I got, but I can tell you what cakes I got almost every year."

McGinnis said the tradition of baking family birthday cakes was one she knew she'd eventually pass on to her own children. She's also involved her kids in the cooking process -- they help her make cakes and are particularly fond of her sugar sculptures.

One thing she may not have realized, however, was how much they'd enjoy watching her on a show they used to watch together.

"They love to get in there and bake and cook," McGinnis said of her children. "The older two are now able to do some of those things on their own without much hands-on supervision. They're definitely foodies in the making. And they're very opinionated -- they watch the shows now and they criticize like you wouldn't believe, not knowing how hard it was."

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