More than a meal

Most people only dream of being on a TV show as a kid, to be famous and have all their classmates see them on their own television. For most kids, this ends as just a wish, but not for Charlotte Barclay, though. Chopped Junior is a cooking game show on Food Network where contestants compete for $10,000 over three rounds. At just 11 years old and a 5th grader at Duveneck Elementary School, she went on “Chopped Junior” and won. 

Just as some kids are drawn to art or different sports, Barclay was interested in cooking from a very young age.

“It just grabbed my attention,” Barclay said. “Instead of being interested in Disney Channel shows or movies, I would always just wanna keep the channel on, like Food Network instead, and watch all of that. Growing up, my mom was a really good cook, so I always got to watch her cook, and I always found that fascinating. She would let me help her, so I found that to be a good way to pass the time.”

What started as only helping her mom became one of her favorite pastimes when she realized what she could accomplish.

“From a young age, I think I realized that I was naturally gifted and good at it, and I liked the idea of being good at something,” Barclay said.

Cooking created a space where she was able to relax and enjoy herself. Instead of having to worry about following instructions exactly, she could experiment with what she liked.

“My favorite part is just that I don’t have to measure anything, and if you make mistakes, it’s very forgiving,” Barclay said. “In baking, if you mismeasure something, that’s kind of it, and you can’t fix it. Whereas in cooking, if you add too much pepper or add too much spice, you can counteract that with other flavors or by adding different ingredients. So it’s like you’re making a potion.”

Despite a busy senior year, Barclay was able to keep up her love of food with an Instagram account where she reviewed food. While many people can only discern whether they like a dish or not, Barclay deciphers what individual elements she enjoys and what changes she believes to be necessary. Her account is her way of expressing her enjoyment of food and her unique skills.

“I started my Instagram channel because I had a bunch of friends who would always laugh at the way I critique the food when I’d go to places,” Barclay said. “I had multiple people suggest, like ‘oh, you should make an Instagram review account out of this’. So I just thought it would be fun and a fun way to keep people posted on my thoughts on food, give them recommendations, and kind of make use of my ability to criticize food and applaud it.”

Barclays’ friends who inspired her to make the account are always ready to support her videos. Paly senior Isabella Grodnitzky explains why she enjoys the food review videos. 

“I like watching her videos because it tells me what I should be ordering, or what I’m able to order, what’s good and what’s bad,” Grodnitzky said. “It’s like watching someone who’s a mini professional but who is also my friend do these videos.”

While Barclay may take her reviews seriously, she does not put the same stress on her account. Her videos are purely for fun.

“At the end of the day, it makes me happy to make them,” Barclay said. “It’s kind of a fun creative outlet to just document for my own sake the different restaurants that I like, flavors that I enjoy, and things I would change.”

The purpose of the videos has always been to have fun with her friends. So, Barclay explains that whether her account will continue into college depends on the community there.

“The main reason why I make the videos and post is because I know my friends find it fun and interesting,” Barclay said. “I think it will [posting videos] depend on what type of friends I make in college.”

All things considered, Barclay doesn’t feel pressure to continue making videos or post consistently. The reason for their creation ties back to her happiness and what she hopes to impart on others.

“It’s just the joy it brings me, and I mean hopefully other people too,” Barclay said.