Jasmine Stewart is a powerhouse. Sure, she’s a cute, quirky teenager. But if you take a moment to look deeper, you will soon see that she is smart. She is creative. She is business-minded. She has a caring heart and a spirit that is dead set on empowering other teens. She could have taken her win on Season 5 of “MasterChef Junior” and rested on her laurels. Who would blame her? Most wait their whole lives to achieve that kind of success. Instead, she decided to create a line of bags, a hashtag, and quite possibly a movement.
“I’m still just a regular kid,” she says. You’ll see she’s that and so much more!
“I loved my time on ‘MasterChef Junior.’ I had never been to California. Of course, I’d never been on TV. It was amazing to meet the judges, Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi.”
You may remember from her season that Jasmine was actually eliminated in Episode 5. When she was brought back, she wasn’t going to squander that second chance.
“I actually started to doubt myself. But when I got the chance to come back to the kitchen, I really pushed myself.” Jasmine went on to blaze the competition and was finally victorious.
At the time of “MasterChef Junior,” Jasmine was a middle school student at Ron Clark Academy in South Fulton.
“Going to Ron Clark Academy was one of the best decisions that my mom ever made,” according to Jasmine. “Who wouldn't want to go there? My life completely changed.”
Now in high school, Jasmine reflects fondly on this time in her education.
“I had so many opportunities at RCA and I am so grateful to Mr. Clark, Ms. Bearden, the teachers and staff there. They had really high expectations. There is such attention to detail and they put magic into every single thing.” Jasmine says that at RCA, they work hard and the academics are rigorous, but they also play just as hard, which included traveling to an impressive list of destinations as a student: D.C., New York, Colorado, New Orleans, Paris, London and Barcelona. She even got to visit South Africa.
“I really gained life skills there. Some of them are helping me in starting my business.”
When asked about what inspired her to launch her own business, Jasmine laughed. “I guess you could say it’s in my blood. My mom and my dad own their own businesses. I think I got my entrepreneurial spirit from them,” speaking about her mom, a lawyer, and her dad, a physician who’s currently treating patients that are suffering from Covid-19. “I’ve always been very creative. And after the show, I realized that I had a platform that I wanted to use for good.”
“Being a girl and growing up can be awkward,” Jasmine stated when asked her why she chose to create purses. Reflecting on being a teen and transitioning into puberty, she wanted something girly, pretty and practical.
“The Girl Bag has pockets for everything from lip gloss to tampons. It can hold everything a girl needs and it’s still cute on the outside. You can put in a small book, your lunch or whatever makes you who you are!”
“Some of my classmates talked differently or dressed differently. I discovered that who I am is okay. I said to myself, ‘I just need to go out there and slay.’ I want girls to know that #LetYourInnerGirlSlay means that you don’t have to be like everyone else. Who are you when no one is watching? Be yourself and let that girl slay!”
With every sale of a Girl Bag, a portion of the proceeds goes to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Jasmine has seen how the pandemic has affected many families and believes giving back is important, especially during this difficult time. Jasmine would say to young entrepreneurs that anything is possible.
“Your idea is your baby. You have to believe in yourself! Don’t doubt yourself. It won’t be successful if you don’t get it out there. Choose your team and support system carefully.” I think this is great advice for any entrepreneur.
Be a part of the movement!
The Girl Bag is available for purchase at JustChefJasmine.com for $34.99 per bag. Furthering Jasmine's girl empowerment platform, each bag is focused on a particular theme and distinguished by color.
The "Act" Girl Bag represents a blank canvas designed to encourage the buyer to take action to create their life story as no one else can paint that canvas (life) for them.
The "Dream" Girl Bag represents ideas and emotions, our dreams. It is designed to remind the buyer that dreams are colorful and wild and one should dream big because with hard work, most things are achievable.
IG: @JustChefJasmine
#LetYourInnerGirlSlay
#JustChefJasmine