Jackson Fujimori’s interest in baking first sparked when he was 8 years old. A flame kindled one summer when he enrolled in a baking class at the urging of his second grade teacher who oversaw the camp.
“I really liked baking,” said Jackson. “So I came home and I think I made an apple crisp and had a lot of fun doing it. I kept making things. And [baking] started to become a hobby.”
The new hobby kept young Jackson busy that summer. His mom wasn’t enthusiastic at first about the newfound mess in the kitchen, but both mom and dad ended up wearing accompanying hats, from sous chef to ingredients chaser. The biggest effort, however, didn’t go into cleaning the kitchen or driving Jackson to the market. It went into reining in those overprotective parental instincts that can so easily go into overdrive.
“He's gotten burned a couple of times. But to me, that's part of it,” says Jackson’s mom, Karen Fujimori. “When he first started cooking, a lot of parents were like, ‘you let him use a real knife?’ And to me I felt like it's dangerous but you can't cut a carrot with a plastic knife. So as long as he was taught properly, and we were there to watch, I felt okay with it.”
Jackson’s parents also let Jackson stay up during those summer nights after Jackson went to his first baking camp, sometimes until midnight, which is how Jackson earned the nickname Midnight Baker. Inspiration seemed to strike later in the evening for the young chef. And since his creations didn’t always turn out right, this meant making things over and over sometimes. Jackson learned to make apple crisps, blueberry cupcakes, and macaron. But mostly, the art of baking taught Jackson that practice makes perfect.
“Sometimes it won't turn out right the first time. So you have to do it again,” says Jackson. “Don't give up.”
The most exemplary form of Jackson’s perseverance was on display for all to see this past holiday season where Jackon was a contestant on Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship, and on the very first season of Kids Baking Championship, which aired two years before.
During his first foray into television as a child chef contestant, then 10-year-old Jackson managed to make it all the way to the finals of the Kids Baking Championship. But the dessert item he was so stoked to showcase didn’t turn out right.
“A lot of [the contestants] had enjoyed making macarons. We always talked about how I want to make macarons but the time never really came until the finale,” said Jackson. “But I was rushed. So they didn't turn out. I dumped them and made another type of cookie.”
Jackson didn’t win. Even though Jackson wasn’t named Kids Holiday Baking Champion, he went home and practiced his macarons. Jackson wasn’t asked to return to the Food Network at this point. But he remained determined to master the art of making macarons, something he wanted to do for himself.
“I definitely practiced a lot in between [shows],” said Jackson. “By the time the Holiday Baking Championship came around, macarons were one of the things I probably made the most.”
When Jackson was asked to return to the Food Network two years later, this time for the Holiday Baking Championship, Jackson was macaron-ready. Jackson paired with Jason Smith, a chef known for his southern bent, and the two impressed the judges with their array of creative and decadent desserts. One of the standout items was Jackson’s macarons, which judge Duff said were “spot on.” Jackson and chef Jason, were crowned Holiday Baking Champions and together awarded $10,000.
“Redemption!” Jackson can be heard saying during his victory monologue. The hefty pot was certainly a nice reward, especially for a teenager. But in baking, Jackson discovered something he loved to do win or lose, the true cherry on top.