Westville school has its own young celebrity chef

A year ago, many at Holy Trinity Regional School knew Andrew Zappley as an outgoing student with a big personality, but few knew about his private passion - cooking.

Now there is scarcely a student or teacher who doesn't know, and the school community has come together to cheer on the 12-year-old chef as he bakes, dices, and sears his way through the MasterChef Junior competition in the hope of winning the TV show's $100,000 prize.

Tuesday night, teachers, parents, and students gathered in the Westville school's gym to watch the prerecorded episode of Andrew leading his blue team to victory in the "Restaurant Takeover" challenge, which had the young chefs running the kitchen of a Los Angeles fine-dining restaurant.

When host Gordon Ramsay announced the winners of the week, the auditorium erupted in thunderous applause as Andrew jumped from his seat, celebrating his win all over again.

Andrew, a boisterous young man from West Deptford, provided his own commentary on the show as he viewed the latest episode from the front row with his school friends. He watched with the rapt attention of someone who didn't know the outcome, which he and his family had remained silent about since April 2014, when the series was taped.

The semifinalist has stood out on the show because of his personality and sense of humor. When the three winners of the first challenge received ice cream sundaes, he whispered that he hoped they got "brain freeze."

Andrew cringes when the incident is brought up.

"I have no filter," he said with a shrug and a good-natured laugh.

When the first season of MasterChef Junior was broadcast, Andrew immediately knew he wanted in. So he went online and filled out a form without his parents' knowledge.

His mother, Karen, said that when she got a call from the show last year about her son competing, she thought she was speaking to a telemarketer before she realized what her son had done.

Mother and son traveled to New York City for the auditions, and before they had left the building, they received a call saying the show was interested in bringing Andrew back to cook the next day. For weeks, Andrew sent in videos of himself cooking before he was finally flown to Los Angeles to compete in the show's third season last March. The show airs locally on Fox29 at 8 p.m. Tuesdays.

Both Karen and Phillip Zappley agree they knew their son was a good cook, but say they had no idea Andrew had such polished technique. Karen Zappley said neither she nor her husband taught him how to cook, and he learned his skills by studying cooking shows in his free time.

Andrew Zappley said he has enjoyed cooking since he was 2, baking desserts with his grandmother.

At age 4, he taught himself to make savory dishes. He said that entering the competition, he was confident in his abilities, but that the show taught him he was better than most. But it was not always smooth sailing, he said.

"The hardest part was the elimination challenges," Andrew said. "If you stop and think, it takes a while to sink in."

For Phillip Zappley, who accompanied his son to Los Angeles, the show was difficult as well. He said the most challenging aspects were getting his son prepped and ready at 6 a.m. each day and watching contestants be eliminated.

"It was sad, because I got to know the parents and kids, and slowly but surely, two by two, they were gone," he said.

The young chef agreed, saying he became close with his fellow contestants, calling them "a good crop of kids." He spoke of the judges affectionately as well and said he appreciated how forthright they were with both their encouragement and criticism.

The hardest part for Andrew has been returning home and not being able to discuss the progress of the contest, according to his mother.

After the show was broadcast, Andrew said, he began being recognized by strangers when he went shopping. He said most people identified him by his voice, which he found perplexing.

At school, he has received some added attention, but for the most part, his fellow students have treated him in much the same way as before, according to Elsie Tedeski, Holy Trinity principal. She said she knew about Andrews' entry into the competition before most people because the show called to ask her permission to take him out of school for six weeks.

"I approved it, because I knew it was life experience he wasn't going to get in a classroom," Tedeski said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Karen Zappley said she knew she wanted to repay the school by doing something as the show is broadcast. With the help of Holy Trinity administrators, she arranged three viewing parties, with her son bringing some of his cooking for those in attendance. It was tacos on Tuesday.

Before Tuesday's viewing party, Andrew posed for pictures and signed autographs afterward. Tedeski said the parties had brought the school together and been uplifting for the community.

Next Tuesday's episode will feature Andrew competing in the semifinals. While the Zappley family cannot reveal the show's outcome, Barbara Block, an attendee at Tuesday night's viewing party, predicted that Andrew will be revealed as the winner of the competition.

Block, whose son is a fourth grader at Holy Trinity, said watching Andrew represent the school has been a thrill.

"He's a well-rounded kid - his leadership, his maturity, his character," Block said. "He's got the skills to take it all the way."

Makes 4-5 servings

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4 medium plum tomatoes

2 medium tomatillos

2 stalks of scallions

1 medium bell pepper

2 basil leaves

2 cloves of fresh garlic

8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese

1 baguette

Sea salt, olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, imported Balsamic vinegar

Blanch the plum tomatoes, remove skin, then dice into ¼-inch pieces; dice the tomatillos into ¼-inch pieces; finely dice the scallions (less the upper third) and bell pepper; finely chop the basil leaves and garlic cloves. Combine all in a bowl. Add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Drizzle olive oil and imported Balsamic over mixture (about 1 tbsp of each).

Slice the baguette, lightly drizzle olive oil over the slices, sprinkle sea salt and freshly ground black pepper on the slices, and bake for 3 minutes at 350 degrees. Add thin slices of mozzarella to the newly created crostini. Top with Bruschetta.

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