African American Cuisine, African American Chef, Ben Watkins, Black Chef, Master Chef Junior, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMN

11-year-old competing on ‘MasterChef Junior’ after losing both parents | TheGrio

Read Time 1 min.

11-year-old competing on ‘MasterChef Junior’ after losing both parents | TheGrio



[dropcap]Ben[/dropcap] Watkins lost both of his parents last September when his father, Michael Watkins, shot and killed his mother, Leila Edwards, and then took his own life. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″]

African American Cuisine, African American Chef, Ben Watkins, Black Chef, Master Chef Junior, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMN

But before that tragedy, Ben had been on track to be a chef, working with his dad in their restaurant, Big Ben’s Bodacious Barbeque & Deli, which had been named after him. On a Facebook page for the restaurant, the business described itself as being created “by a family to support their son’s love of cooking.”

But while the restaurant shut down after Ben’s parents died, Ben’s family and community wanted to keep his dream alive.