'Chopped Junior' To Feature 11-Year-Old Westlake Resident

WESTLAKE, OH — Eleven-year-old Abby Feyedelem isn't like most 11-year-olds. Swirling around her mind are recipes for pork chops with Korean-inspired glazes, the best way to slice vegetables and how to prep a holiday meal. That's part of what got her selected for Chopped Junior, Food Network's cooking competition for kids. Abby will appear on the program Tuesday night at 8 p.m.

For Abby, and her family, it's the fulfillment of a prophecy made by Abby herself. When she first started watching cooking and baking shows, at age 5, Abby quipped to her mother that one day she would appear on Food Network.

Little did Kristy Feyedelem, Abby's mother, know her daughter was a few short years from making that off-hand prophecy a reality. (To stay up to date on these stories, subscribe to the Patch Westlake newsletter. As news breaks and the story develops, you will be the first to receive updates from Patch.)

Destined To Be A Chef

Before she was a chef, Abby was a baker. She started baking things at age 7 and was obsessed with watching Cake Boss. She hadn't experimented much with entrees, yet. At that point, she stuck to cupcakes and the ilk.

The interest in cooking shows and cooking food started when the Feyedelems invested in a meal delivery service, Blue Apron. They eventually switched to Home Chef.

"She asked if she could help with meal prep," Kristy told Patch. "Within a week, she was asking if she could make a meal. Before I knew it, she was cooking three or four meals a week. It was helping me out and she wasn't catching the house on fire. We were impressed."

Abby's first meal was a chicken crusted with paprika and green beans. It was good, Kristy said.

Abby's favorite style of cuisine to cook in is Asian. She loves Korean food. The blend of flavors and spices available to her is enticing, she said. She specifically called out her love of cooking pork chops with a Korean-inspired glaze.

The family's television set was also frequently tuned to Food Network, or any program with Alton Brown, the famous TV personality and chef, in it. That's thanks to Abby, who described Brown as a hero. Whenever she has control of the remote, she flips to a cooking show.

"Alton Brown is almost a part of the family with how much he's on our TV," Kristy said.

Abby also helps her dad, Jude, prep holiday meals for the family. Kristy jokes that everyone wants to come to their house for the grub now.

Chopped Junior Comes Calling

After prophesying that she would one day land on a cooking TV show, Abby heard in fall 2016 that Chopped Junior was taking applications for contestants. On a whim, she asked her mother if she could apply. Thinking nothing would really come of it, Kristy said yes and the application was submitted.

For a while, she heard nothing.

Then a phone call came. Abby was going to be interviewed, over the phone, for a spot on the show. Nervous, Abby did the interview. Then she waited.

Then came another phone interview. Then a Skype interview. Then another phone interview.

"I kept wondering how far this was going to go," Kristy said.

Then one more call came. Producers at Chopped Junior wanted a video of Abby slicing up an onion. She was being seriously considered for a spot in the show. Jude and Abby stayed up all night filming the desired shot. They submitted the tape and then the waiting started again.

Finally, in mid-November, the Feyedelems got the call. Abby was going to appear on Chopped Junior They wanted her to appear on an episode being filmed in late November and early December.

Flights were booked, hotels were arranged and Jude and Abby were set to head to New York City.

The Competition

Abby can't talk yet about the dishes she made or how she did on the show. But she did tell Patch she was extremely anxious heading to the Big Apple. She loves big cities and the hustle and bustle of New York was a buoy.

"When we first got to the hotel, I flopped on my bed for an hour," she said, laughing. She was overwhelmed and needed to decompress a little.

Her father took her out to see the city and get some of the city's famous pizza. They saw Central Park and the Chelsea Market. Jude said he was trying to help acclimate his daughter to the city.

The next day she joined the other competitors on set. Jude was sequestered with the other parents and wasn't able to have any contact with Abby. He watched the action in uneasy anticipation.

Luckily, day two of the journey saw Abby filming some B-roll shots and introducing herself to the camera. It was day three when things got competitive.

Details of the ingredients Abby had to cook with are scarce, but the description of Tuesday's episode reveals some things. With her peers, Abby was asked to cook with hot peppers, goat and milder chili, and a spicy jam.

"I just kept thinking, 'Oh my God, I'm opening a Chopped Junior basket!'" Abby said.

Kristy and Jude said Abby was totally in her element during the competition. Normally a shy girl, her parents said she seemed to find herself in the kitchen and didn't shirk from the bright lights of prime time. Come 8 p.m. Tuesday, the whole nation will have the opportunity to see Abby's poise for themselves.

The Future

Abby is currently a student at Menlo Park Academy. She was born and raised in Lakewood and her family recently moved to Westlake.

While her dad works with Michael Symon, he's more of a front-of-the-house employee. He only started cooking when he got involved in the food business, his wife said. That influence, however new, has already paid off.

Abby said she already knows what she wants to do for her career. Well, she has it narrowed to two options: become a chef or work in food sciences. For those unfamiliar, the food sciences are the study of the biological makeup of food and food processing.

"I want to build up my name in Cleveland," she said. "Then maybe I would go back to New York City, if I had the credentials."

For now, that's the future. But never discount the prophecies of Abby Feyedelem.

Tune in to see Abby on Chopped Junior at 8 p.m. on Tuesday and again at 3 a.m. on Wednesday. More information on her episode can be found here.

Lead photo from Food Network