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Season 6 of Fox's "MasterChef Junior" brings back Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi as judges for more culinary adventures with the younger set, joined by a fan favorite who's been missing from the panel for the past two seasons: restaurateur, author and TV personality Joe Bastianich. "Mr. Nasty is back," Ramsay says with a laugh. "Joe is an amazing mentor ... . It's a welcome return, let me tell you. And also, we butt heads. So I'm the cook, he's the waiter, he carries my food and we butt heads, which I think is healthy." As the new season opens Friday, March 2, Ramsay, Tosi and Bastianich continue to watch, listen, advise and console as kids ages 8 to 13 showcase their culinary talents and passion for food through a series of challenges, this time in a boys versus girls format, with the winner receiving the MasterChef Junior trophy and a $100,000 grand prize. Over the five-plus seasons of "MasterChef Junior," Ramsay has noticed that the boys and girls on the show share some traits with their older counterparts, such the tendency among the males to aggressively plow ahead into challenges and the girls' penchant for standing back and considering their next move. He gives both genders of the younger set high grades for creativity and thinking outside the box, more so in fact than their older counterparts. "Not only thinking out of the box," he says, "but they see that combination where a young sort of 25-year-old amateur cook would never put hand-diced olives with a rack of lamb. They'd never mix a Santa Barbara spot prawn with a belly of pork. It's almost like an insult. "These youngsters are adventurous and were taking the heads off the Santa Barbara spot prawns and creating a shellfish vinaigrette to drizzle over the braised belly of pork," he continues. "That's pretty mind-blowing." BY GEORGE DICKIE Gordon Ramsay Gordon Ramsay welcomes back 'Mr. Nasty' as Fox's 'MasterChef Junior' opens Season 6 What book are you currently reading? "I'm now going through the protein section of (my book) 'Ultimate Fit Food.' ... It's a book that I travel with religiously and it's a book that gets me in shape whenever I'm on the road." What did you have for dinner last night? "Tana, my wife, did a white bean and chicken thigh casserole. And it was roasted garlic, white flageolet beans, zucchini, chicken thighs and is steeped in like a lemon chicken broth. It was delicious." What is your next project? "A Gordon Ramsay Steak in Atlantic City with Harrah's and Caesars Palace, and that's going to be opening up on the last week of May this year." When was your last vacation, where and why? "My last vacation was at Christmastime ... 10 days together in the southwest of England in a little village called Daymer Bay and it's in Cornwall. ... There's a microclimate down there, and in between the golf course and the beach is this beautiful vineyard that produces the most amazing wines." Page 8 February 26 - March 4, 2018 On or Off-Site Catering All Occasions Dine under the glow of gas lanterns Breakfast and Lunch Meals also available Open Tuesday through Saturday PICK UP y o u r c o p y a t : t h e h A R T Your source for arts, entertainment and culture news in Elkhart County

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