The intestinal transplant Matisse Reid received a year ago in Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh came with an unexpected surprise.

The fifth-grader from New Zealand, who turns 11 on Christmas Day, developed a sophisticated palate: a taste for squid, anchovies and olives.

"The squids look like little pink spiders when you cook them," Matisse giggled in the family room of her Pine home. She had just taken a bite out of a whole avocado.

Her newfound love of food intensified Matisse's interest in cooking. This March, she will become the Kid Food Editor for Cooking Light magazine. Matisse will contribute a recipe and comments for a column in the monthly publication.

The girl's parents, Wayne and Jodee, marvel at their daughter's progress: before the transplant, Matisse could not eat without vomiting.

"I never thought she'd be employable because she'd been so sick," said Jodee Reid, 40. "It's pretty amazing."

Matisse's illness, called idiopathic intestinal pseudo obstruction, kept her from digesting food. Twenty to 30 children in the United States have the disease, which made her intestines act as if they were blocked. Eating caused her major abdominal pain. She didn't respond to medication.

Her parents decided that coming to the United States from New Zealand gave Matisse a better shot at a transplant -- the only way to reverse her condition. Doctors in their country had told the family that Matisse would not survive without a digestive system, so they researched the best places for a transplant with the best outcomes and chose Pittsburgh.

Although she initially was geared to receive a stomach, pancreas, liver and intestines, Matisse received only the small and large intestines in a 12-hour surgery at Children's in December 2010. In a few months, her stomach began working.

The transplant transformed Matisse, said Dr. George Mazariegos, chief of pediatric transplantation at Children's, which is part of the UPMC health system.

"She rarely looked at me and never smiled before the surgery," he said. "I never expected such an outgoing and delightful child as she is now."

Matisse, who depended on intravenous nutrition, had to learn how to eat.

"She only eats when hungry," Jodee Reid said. "She's never had to feel hungry. It's a learning process."

Matisse surprised her doctors and family with her budding culinary skills. She likes to cook for her family, and favors making pasta with Alfredo sauce and creamy potatoes with the skin on. She's been pushing her parents to buy a whole octopus at Wholey's Fish Market in the Strip District.

Mattise doesn't know how she'd cook the octopus, but judging by her dead-on imitation of Food Network queen Paula Deen, the recipe would have lots of Deen's favorite cooking ingredients.

"Lots of butter, y'all," she cracked in a southern drawl.

The Reids, whose three other children are ages 7, 13, and 20, would like to stay in the United States permanently because Matisse's condition will require lifelong care, including monitoring of her anti-rejection medications. The Reids are hopeful she can get that care in Pittsburgh, but haven't secure the appropriate visas. Their daughter, Rachel, 20, is studying media arts at Duquesne University and obtained a green card.

In case Mattise's cooking career doesn't take off, she is working on a plan B.

"I want to be a rock star," she said. "I want to sing, play guitar and dance."

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