Kansas Citian Kyle Hopkins represents Midwest on MasterChef season 13

Hopkins holds a note card from his son Teddy: “You can do hard things.” // courtesy Alyssa Broadus

Homecook contestant Kyle Hopkins represents Kansas City in season 13 of MasterChef: United Tastes of America. During the show, contestants from all over the country compete against four regions to see who has the best cooking skills: the Northeast, Midwest, South, or West. After Hopkins’ solidified his place on the Midwest team, he also received the first immunity pin of the season for the best-presented dish. 

Hopkins took a great risk preparing his stellar beer-battered lobster fries alongside a fennel slaw and lemon tarragon beer vinaigrette. The nerves set in upon presenting to the judges after brushing off their caution of frying lobster. Luckily, the delicious treat paid off. Hopkins held back his excitement when hearing their comments about the plate’s perfect balance of creaminess and acidity. 

“It was truly a moment in my life that I will celebrate forever,” says Hopkins. “It’s a pretty cool thing to have judges of that stature in front of millions of people on TV say nothing but the kindest words about your food and say you cooked the best dish tonight.”

With an expert taste for beer, Hopkins draws from his techniques as a Cicerone professional to influence his cooking skills. He practiced mastering his palette by analyzing beer flavors with blind tastings. For the episode premiere of the celebrated lobster meal, Hopkins surprised friends with lobster rolls paired with an English Ale with lemon. Whether it’s for a brewery, TV show, or friends, Hopkins is always studying taste. 

“My brain, my nose, and my mouth all work together to really notice subtle nuances in foods,” says Hopkins. “There’s this really lovely contrast between the acidity and the lemon and this really rich buttery lobster. There’s harmony in there, and I expect beer to play a role in preparing.”

The countdown clock and rapid ingredient experimentation are immense stressors, not to mention presenting an excellent plate to Gordon Ramsay, Aarón Sánchez, and Joe Bastianich. However, adjusting to a new kitchen is also challenging. One of the most difficult aspects for Hopkins is being away from his own kitchen. Though he knew each unique burner and perfected dial settings on personal appliances, it’s tough to adapt to a foreign workspace on television quickly. Hopkins must make the MasterChef kitchen a ‘home away from home.’ 

“It’s like, if I was at home, this mistake would never happen because I’m so familiar with my cast iron, my oven. You don’t have a lot of time to play around and figure this out,” says Hopkins. “Honestly, there’s a big satisfaction when things go right. But it’s hard to not let things go wrong.”

In Hopkins’ Regional Auditions episode, he reveals a small note from his son Teddy stating, “You can do hard things.” The statement floated around the house in pandemic isolation during ‘porch school.’ A woman across the street created the motto for Teddy, and Hopkins repeated it whenever they faced a challenge in the trying time period. Before Teddy’s first day of kindergarten, he handed him a note card with the slogan, claiming its magic would keep him strong. Teddy, Emily (Hopkins’ wife), and Hopkins’ mom cheer on his first dish, and when receiving his apron to represent KC, the family is pulled into a group hug with a teary-eyed dad. 

“It became a cool storyline, and I think it helped introduce who I am as a character. I mean, that’s who I am. I’m a dad who is trying my best every day, and sometimes I’m really good, but I’m gonna keep trying. And I want to do things that can positively affect my child,” says Hopkins. 

Along with his own love for food, Hopkins shares his passion with his children, taking them out to Boru for grilled shishito peppers or making Korean barbecue lettuce wraps at home. Even though there’s an occasional fast food request, the kids enjoy a variety of flavors. At a young age, the flavor palette frequently shifts, and Hopkins gives his sons an excited, friendly nudge to try new things. 

“We don’t force our kids to eat anything. If you ask Teddy, he would have a couple of examples where he’s saying, ‘I didn’t use to like that, but I do now,’ and he’s only seven,” says Hopkins. 

Keep up with Hopkins’ MasterChef journey Wednesdays on FOX or stream the following day on Hulu. See what else he’s cooking at home and eating in the KC area on his Instagram.

“I’ve been getting random fist bumps in the grocery store and people yelling out of their car that they’re cheering me on. It’s been fun so far. It’s truly an honor to represent Kansas City. And it’s fun getting to live this weird TV fantasy dream in front of millions of people and then have a whole bunch of people get to watch it along with me.”