Country School Student Wins Chopped Jr. and Advocates for Celiac Disease

Maizy Boosin has had a sizzling summer. The Country School eighth grader won Chopped Jr., a well-known television-cooking contest on The Food Network. Not only did she wow judges with her creative dishes, she cooked an entirely gluten-free meal and is donating a portion of her $10,000 prize to the Celiac Disease Foundation. 
Competing alongside three other 12-and 13-year-olds, Maizy transformed her first Chopped basket ingredients, (participants must use the basket ingredients in their dishes) into the winning meal – a scallion pancake with beef satay with spicy peanut sauce, a Dijon pork chop, and a passion fruit, strawberry crumble.
 
Maizy has celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder in which the small intestine is hypersensitive to gluten, leading to difficulty in digesting food. “Because there were so many foods I couldn’t eat, my mom and I started experimenting with all kinds of cooking and baking,” said Maizy, who was diagnosed with celiac in second grade. “Did you know that even soy sauce has gluten? We would make gluten-free Chinese food, pizzas and cakes.  At first, I would follow the recipes, but then I just started following my instincts.”
 
Maizy is donating a portion of her proceeds to the Celiac Disease Foundation to help find a cure for the disorder. She also wants to be an advocate. “I want to spread awareness and knowledge about celiac.” In particular, she said that people should know about the effects of cross-contamination, especially in restaurants. She points to efforts at New Canaan Country School, such as an ingredient board outside the cafeteria and the availability of gluten-free bread and tortillas as important steps in helping students who have gluten sensitivity.   
 
“We are so proud of Maizy,” said Head of School Rob Macrae.  “She carried herself with poise, was kind to the other participants and advocated for an important cause. She represented herself, her family and her school community extremely well.”
 
Maizy learned about the opportunity to be a contestant on Chopped Jr. through her other passion – theater.  She responded to the show’s open call that was listed on the Facebook page of French Woods Festival, a performing arts summer camp that she has attended for several years. Maizy has already has been in 27 shows, including several at New Canaan Country School. Aside from appearing on Chopped Jr. this summer, Maizy performed in an off-Broadway play, “Camp Rolling Hills” at the Pearl Theatre, as part of the New York Musical Festival. With her winnings, she also plans to attend the hit play, “Hamilton.”
 
Maizy describes herself as determined.  “I like to put my mind to things—cooking, school work, theater.”
Back
New Canaan Country School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin and are afforded all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid policies or any other school-administered programs.