'Junior MasterChef' contestant feels blessed

He is all of 12, but "Junior MasterChef - Swaad Ke Ustaad" contestant Sarthak Bhardwaj loves to cook up new dishes, and believes he is already improving his culinary skills.

"I am blessed that everyone appreciates my cooking talent and always encourages me with kind words. I have found a new family and made some great friends on 'Junior MasterChef'," Bhardwaj said in a statement.

He says "it's a huge responsibility on my shoulders" as people "trust my cooking and have lots of expectations from me". But he isn't scared of losing.

"Even if I don't go far I have already enhanced my culinary skills through this memorable journey of 'Junior MasterChef'," Sarthak said in a statement.

Most young contestants on the show often prefer to partner with him in the tasks assigned to them.

"Recently while shooting for the special Rainbow cake episode, the girls - Sanya, Pummi, Sakshi and Harshieka had to choose their partners for the task and without thinking twice, the girls were heard screaming for Sarthak to join them," said a source from the show.

No wonder then that chef Vikas Khanna, who is judging the show, refers to him as the "new age Krishna" on the show. The Star Plus show is also co-judged by Kunal Kapoor and Surjan Singh Jolly.