A 19-year-old Maryland man who is autistic — and aspires to become a pastry chef — got a big surprise when he appeared Tuesday afternoon on Steve Harvey’s nationally syndicated daytime show.

“When I’m in the kitchen, it makes me feel confident that I can accomplish anything as a chef,” Jeremiah Josey said during his segment on “Steve.” Josey added that he’s not going to let his autism “get in the way of my abilities” or stop him “from trying to accomplish my dreams.”

On the segment, Josey said he learned how to bake with his grandmother and specializes in cheesecakes. He then helped celebrity chef Christina Tosi prepare a new recipe for a pound cake while Harvey gobbled up the delicious results.

This wasn’t the first brush in the national limelight for the teenage chef. This spring, he strode down the catwalk during New York Fashion Week to model designer Tommy Hilfiger’s innovative adaptive clothing for people with disabilities.

Josey couldn’t be reached immediately for comment. But on the show he disclosed his long-term career goals: “I want to go to culinary school,” he said, “and open up my own pastry shop in the future.”

— Mary Carole McCauley