Chef Bobby Flay may be 15-year-old Jaelen Steede's hero, but his grandmother is his inspiration.

The Warwick Academy student will be one of several junior instructors at the Second Annual Kids Culinary Arts Conference.

The event will be held tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. at CedarBridge Academy. Jaelen will be the oldest Bermudian junior chef teaching at the conference. He said his grandmother, Doris Haley, had been a big influence on his love of cooking.

"My granny cooks every night for our family," said Jaelen. "I like to help her out in the kitchen. She is a very good homestyle cook. Her recipes are in her head. She says 'okay, I want to try this today, and we go from there'."

But he'd still like to meet celebrity chef Bobby Flay of the television programme 'Iron Chef America'. He hopes to one day take up cooking as a career. He is particularly interested in French cooking. At the conference he will be helping to teach young people interested in cooking ages ten to 15 years old.

Presented in a kid-focused environment, these sessions are designed to help kids make smart food choices, teach them independence and self-sufficiency, build their confidence, and advance their culinary knowledge.

All participants will create three healthy, seasonal dishes from scratch in cooking sessions taught by master and advanced junior chefs from both the United States and Bermuda.

There are also interactive sessions on nutrition, knife skills and food presentation taught by culinary professionals, and complimentary sessions for parents designed to arm them with tools to support their child's nutritional and culinary goals at home.

Jaelen joined the Junior Chef Central summer programme in Bermuda three years ago.

He did a beginners' course twice, and then enrolled in the advanced programme.

This summer he is set to do an internship at Greg's Steakhouse alongside chef Colin Lloyd.

"He wants to take me under his wing and help me to become a chef," said Jaelen. "I have never worked in a restaurant before. I am looking forward to the experience and what I can learn," he said. "I have wanted to be a chef for three years. I always wanted to be in the kitchen ."

Jaelen said the Junior Chef Central programme, started by Bermudian Karla Lacey, had helped him out a lot .

"It has given me the motivation to take it a step forward, and not just sit around," he said. "In this programme I have met some very good people who can help me to achieve my goals."

Through the Junior Chef Central programme, Jaelen has learned how to take a chicken and put it into separate parts – breast, wing and leg.

He has learned knife skills, although he admitted he has cut himself once or twice when he wasn't paying attention. He has also learned a host of recipes.

Jaelen said you just have to be willing to work through your mistakes.

"If you mess up you keep going and you'll be alright," he said.

He was looking forward to teaching at the conference.

"It will be a new experience," he said. "I have never been able to teach other children what I know."

He highly recommended the Junior Chef Central programme to other students considering it.

"I say that it is a very good programme and it is plenty of fun," he said. "You really need to pay attention and be focused or else it's not so much fun.

"You have to be serious about it and willing to do whatever."

At the conference Jaelen and several other junior instructors will be teaching how to properly chop, saute and blend different ingredients together to come up with a dish.

"We will also be teaching them how to properly hold a knife, and how to be safe in the kitchen," he said.

More than 200 young Bermudians will take part in the cooking conference.

"This is the only event of its kind in the world," said Ms Lacey, who is also the CEO of the Bermuda Hospitality Institute. "The Kids Culinary Conference promotes the practice and importance of making healthy food choices."

The Kids Culinary Conference is a non-profit event created by Ms Lacey. It's the fifth event of its kind and the second for Bermuda.

The cost is $85 before 15 May and $95 afterwards, and includes all cooking classes and culinary sessions. Kids only need to come with their hair pulled back, sneakers on and a willingness to eat what they cook.

For more information go to www.jrchefcentral.com or call 799-4888.