She’s baaaaack! Delco’s Chef Tavia returns
CHESTER >> Residents of Delaware County and the rest of the nation fell in love last September with the charming little chef with the big personality. The then-12-year-old Tavia Isaac of Chester, cooked up a $10,000 prize after an appearance on Food Network’s Chopped Junior. Apparently, the producers of Chopped Junior were equally smitten with the young chef, because they invited her back to the show in November to compete against 15 other Chopped Junior champions. The show will premiere 8 p.m., this Tuesday, May 30 on the Food Network.
“I was really grateful for the second opportunity,” remarked the now-13-year-old chef. “I was a tiny bit nervous because I was up against tough competition. After all, they were all champions like me, but they were great competition to be up against. It was a challenge – and a lot of fun!”
Sixteen former Chopped Junior winners returned to the show to prove that they have what it takes to beat the odds and be victorious in the five-part tournament, “Chopped Junior: Champions.” The young chefs took on mystery baskets in three rounds – appetizer, entree, dessert – and created dishes that had to impress a rotating panel of judges, including Maneet Chauhan, Alex Guarnaschelli, Kristen Kish, Marc Murphy, Marcus Samuelsson and Dale Talde.
Each Tuesday in June, four young chefs will compete on an segment. The winners from those four Chopped Junior episodes, will meet to compete in the grand finale on Tuesday, June 27 to determine which junior chef will walk away with a cash prize of $25,000.
“Going back was definitely exciting,” commented Crystal Isaac, who jokingly calls herself Tavia’s “Momager.” “She says she was a little bit nervous, but she seemed much more relaxed compared to the first time she appeared on the show. She brightens up the minute they turn on the camera!”
In the first battle of the fivepart tournament,the episode in which Tavia appears Tuesday, the champs get a French delicacy and a crunchy snack for the appetizer round. In the second round, one competitor has never cooked pork tenderloin before, but finds it in the entree basket. Finally, the champs’ pantry picks in the dessert impact the judges’ critiques. The judge’s in Tuesday’s episode are Alex Guarnaschelli, Kristen Kish and Marcus Samuelsson.
Tavia and Crystal can’t divulge whether Tavia wins Tuesday’s cook-off. They also couldn’t say how long they stayed in New York City for the filming because that would hint at whether Tavia went on to film the final competition, since the entire five episodes, which will air throughout the month, were all filmed backto-back. The young Food Network star signed an agreement of confidentiality until after the show airs.
In the meantime, between the fall filming and the spring airing, Tavia, a seventh-grade student at Agora Cyber Charter School, has cooked, cooked and cooked some more, mostly for family.
On May 16, she participated in a mock Chopped session on FOX 29’s Good Day Philadelphia, competing against Richard Curtis,who was one of Kelly Ripa’s recent co-hosts on Live! With Kelly. The pair made breakfast with Texas toast and fruit, Tavia said.
Both the celebrated young chef and her mom had a whirlwind few months, after the first show aired last September, with appearances and local opportunities to cook at events. Tavia, with her winning smile and outgoing nature, shot to stardom as soon as the show hit the airwaves.
The Food Network fan applied to be on the show, unbeknownst to her mother. Chef Tavia was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when she was 8 years old. She had her colon removed at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Wanting to cook and eat healthier, Tavia began watching every cooking show she could find on television and on YouTube. With helpful tips from her mother and grandmother, the determined young chef blossomed in the kitchen.
By age 9, she was making breakfast, lunch and dinner for the whole family. While hosptialized, she began watching Chopped Jr. She sent in an application and surprised mom Crystal when she found out that she was chosen as a contestant. Tavia went up against her competitors in an intense cooking match, using ingredients unknown to the young chefs until the filming took place. She made brown butter Cornish hen with sautéed asparagus and Brussel sprouts with blueberry ketchup as her main entrée, grilled minute steak with dragon tongue beans as an appetizer and deconstructed cherry tart with banana meringue for dessert. What happened after her stellar creations is history.
Tavia and Crystal said that they look forward to having a small gathering of family members and close friends at their home to watch the episode Tuesday.
“It was very amazing to return again to Chopped Jr.,” the young chef, who aspires to have a cooking show of her own some day, said with a smile. “If another opportunity opens up at Food Network, I will most certainly be thrilled to go back again!”
For more information on Food Network’s Chopped Jr., visit www. foodnetwork.com/shows/choppedjunior and for more information on Chef Tavia, like her “Chef Tavia” Facebook page or follow @ cheftavia on Twitter.