At 12 years old, Maizy Boosin competed on Chopped Junior against three other junior chefs, but Maizy had a unique challenge – she chose to cook everything exclusively gluten-free while given the same basket of ingredients as her competitors. On the show, Maizy shared that she cooks gluten-free because she has celiac disease; she started cooking after her diagnosis at age seven. When Maizy won the competition, she donated a portion of her award to Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF), and plans to continue fundraising for CDF. Maizy’s generous donation to the Foundation will advance research toward treatments and a cure for celiac disease.
Maizy also registered as a Celiac Disease Foundation Student Ambassador, where she is working to raise awareness of celiac disease in her school and local community. The Student Ambassador Program helps children, teens, and young adults become role models for others with celiac disease while fostering a greater understanding in the community and educating their peers.
Maizy’s success story was featured in the April 2017 issue of Gluten-Free Living magazine. Maizy plans to contribute kid-friendly recipes and cooking demos to the CDF website and to share her experiences in dining out with the CDF audience. CDF welcomes Maizy as we look forward to her continued involvement with Celiac Disease Foundation.
View Maizy’s story here.
Meet Maizy, “Chopped Junior” Winner and CDF Student Ambassador