Aaron McCargo Jr. is an American

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

television personality Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...

, and television show host who is best known as the winner of the fourth season of the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

show, ''

Food Network Star ''Food Network Star'' is a reality television series that aired from June 5, 2005, to August 5, 2018. It was produced by CBS EYEtoo Productions for seasons 1–8 and by Triage Entertainment for seasons 9-14. It aired on the Food Network in the ...

''.

Early life and education

McCargo was born 22nd July, 1971 and he grew up in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

, and is one of six children. He became interested in cooking at age four, when he began baking cakes in his sister's

Easy-Bake Oven The Easy-Bake Oven is a working toy oven introduced in 1963 and manufactured by Kenner and later by Hasbro. The original toy used a pair of ordinary incandescent light bulbs as a heat source; current versions use a true heating element. Kenner ...

. He began cooking in his family's kitchen at age seven. He was encouraged by his father, Aaron McCargo Sr., who is a cook, and his mother, Julia, who has a preference for food with a great deal of flavor. He first studied cooking in a

home economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences (often shortened to FCS or FACS), is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and f ...

class at Pyne Poynt Middle School in Camden and began cooking as a junior volunteer in the kitchen of

Cooper University Hospital Cooper University Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility located in Camden, New Jersey. The hospital formerly served as a clinical campus of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the University of Medicine and Dentist ...

in Camden at age 13. He took further cooking classes at Camden High School, graduating in 1989.

References

External links

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Big Daddy's House on FoodNetwork.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCargo Jr, Aaron Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people African-American Catholics African-American television personalities American television chefs American male chefs Atlantic Cape Community College alumni Camden High School (New Jersey) alumni People from Camden, New Jersey Catholics from New Jersey Food Network chefs Food Network Star winners People from Cherry Hill, New Jersey