W. Deptford student in "Master Junior" competition

A West Deptford seventh grader is scheduled to appear on television as he competes in the Fox Network cooking competition series MasterChef Junior.

Andrew Zappley, 12, of Holy Trinity Regional School, is among 19 young chefs competing in the series that returns 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Chef Gordon Ramsay hosts, and restaurateur Joe Bastianich and chef Graham Elliot will be the judges. Andrew said in an interview with The Inquirer that he developed a love of cooking with his grandmother Ruth Harrie, who taught him to make desserts during the holidays.

Harrie has since died. Andrew said if she could see him now, she would be speechless.

"I think she would just start crying," he said. "She would be so proud."

The competing junior home cooks from across the country range in age from 8 to 12, and will compete for a trophy and $100,000 grand prize. Andrew's specialty that got him to the competition was chicken Milanese with creamed spinach and cucumber skins.

In the premiere episode, the cooks will be introduced to their first challenge of making a complete restaurant-quality dish using only the ingredients in a mystery box.

The winner of that challenge will have the advantage of selecting which of the judges' favorite pastas the remaining contestants will prepare in the elimination round. Later, the 14 junior cooks with the best dishes will advance in the competition.

- Barbara Boyer