Local viewers of the Food Network program Chopped Junior had a great surprise waiting for them earlier this month. The season's second episode, which debuted May 3, featured a young cook from Sandy Hook. She did not make it too far into the episode, but Julia Calabrese stood tall and left the stage gracefully when she was told her dish was not the strongest of the group.Chopped Junior echoes the setup of its adult counterpart, now in its fifth season, with contestants competing before a panel of judges to turn baskets of mystery ingredients into three-course meals featuring appetizer, entrée, and dessert. Course by course, one chef is "chopped" - or cut from competition - following each round. It's a challenge of creativity, skill, and speed.Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.Dance Moms and cartoons), Julia said she enjoys watching programs with where kids compete with each other.Chopped Junior is filmed.'Love You, Mom!'Chopped Junior episode "Love You, Mom!" was Maneet Chauhan, who was joined by celebrity judges Haylie Duff and Alison Sweeney. During the opening segment of the episode, when each contestant was introduced, Julia entered the set by doing a cartwheel.Chopped Junior experience. "I never really worked with snails. I'm a vegetarian. I like to be kind to the environment.Chopped Junior on it," she continued, another smile appearing, "and what cooking school wouldn't want someone who was already on a cooking show."

Julia, 11, was one of four contestants on the cooking competition where contestants, according to FoodNetwork.com, "make unforgettable meals from mystery ingredients under a ticking clock." At stake is a $10,000 prize.

Both programs are hosted by Ted Allen, the food and wine specialist on the groundbreaking, Emmy-winning series

Julia has long enjoyed cooking, she said this week.

"I enjoy cooking more than baking," she said in her rapid-fire speech. "I find baking more time consuming. I don't have the patience for it."

A regular viewer of Food Network programs (as well as

She decided to see if she could get onto one of her favorite shows after seeing a casting call announcement late last year.

"We had a bunch of phone calls, and they asked everyone to do a video upload of their favorite dish," said the Reed Intermediate School sixth grade student. "I did a tofu with Sriracha sauce, quinoa, and vegetables, with green beans on the side."

By January, the Calabrese family learned Julia had been selected for the show. She was then invited to spend two days in Manhattan's Chelsea Market, where

The judge for the

A competitive cheerleader for the past three years and a town cheerleader for four, her skills were also highlighted during her spotlight segment - the time when each competitor is introduced and shares something about themselves - when she did additional cartwheels.

Also introduced during the first few minutes of the episode were the other three competitors: Townsend Childress, 12; Moses Hausmann, 11; and Annabella Kumar, 11.

"We want you to celebrate your moms as you're cooking," Ted Allen told the four contestants. "So think about making plates that you know your mothers would really love." Moments later the young cooks opened their baskets to discover round one's mystery ingredients: basil, papadum (an Indian and Sri Lankan flatbread), coconut fruit pops, and escargot.

"I was kind of disgusted when I opened the basket," Julia said this week. Seated in the dining room of her home, her hair pulled back and a signature cheerleading bow atop her head, she talked about her

"It's important to not slaughter animals just so you can eat it," she said.

Julia decided to go with an appetizer she knew her mother would enjoy.

"My mom, she's a huge fan of crostini," Julia is heard saying during the episode, while the camera followed her around the set, "so I'm making Crostini with Papadum Coconut Basil White Sauce." Additional ingredients she grabbed from the Chopped Junior pantry included flour, butter, and milk.

Julia opted to use the butter inside the escargot shell instead of the actual snail, she explained, because she and her mother are vegetarians.

The Calabreses are a "house divided," Christine Calabrese said Monday afternoon, laughing. She shares her daughter's eating choices, while husband, Pat, and middle Calabrese daughter, Elizabeth, enjoy meat.

Julia showed some quick thinking during the appetizer round, when her white sauce gave her some issue.

"I put a lot of milk and too much flour into the white sauce," she said May 16. "So I had to change my plan, and the topping became a spread instead of a dip."

Maneet Chauhan said there were "some great things done" with her offering. She highlighted the bite of the basil, and the freshness of the flavors. Alison Sweeney said she did a "beautiful job," and Haylie Duff complimented "the little bit of sweetness" the coconut bar provided.

Ms Chauhan and Ms Duff both commented on the bread's lack of crunch, however.

This week, Julia talked about the error.

"I forgot to toast the bread," she said. "They weren't too happy with the bread."

She then smiled, and added, "That's kind of our new life saying around here now: 'Always toast the bread.'"

Townsend also opted to make an escargot crostini for his appetizer, Moses went with what he called "a slug salad" with vinaigrette, and Annabella went with a crepe with a basil pesto.

Once the clock ran out for the young cooks, it was time to find out who was getting chopped and who would continue on the show. When Ted Allen lifted the lid on the chopping block, Julia's dish was the one that was revealed. Townsend, who had been standing to Julia's right, reached over a patted her on the back.

"It was amazing to cook for the judges," Julia said in her exit interview, which each contest offers either once they are chopped from program or if they win. "I'm still proud of what I did, even though I got chopped first."

(For the record, Annabella went on to win the episode. Moses was chopped in the second round, and Townsend fell in the third round.)

The Calabrese family watched Julia's episode together, joined by friends and family, when it aired on May 3.

Back home in Sandy Hook, Julia's cheerleading spirit shows when she talks about being on the show. There is no sense of disappointment in her tone.

"I did my best, and that's all you can do," she said, her brown eyes sparkling. She rarely stops smiling. "They told us that 5,000 kids auditioned, so when you think of it, it really was good to be there."

While she isn't sure what she wants to do when she grows up, Julia does have a few ideas.

"I would like to be in agriculture science," she said Monday afternoon. "That, or maybe a chef.

"My resume will already have