Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Students get ready to launch culinary careers

Last year’s Best Teen Chef, 18-year-old Patricia Homma of Marietta, was growing tired of her single dad’s takeout dinners, and decided to teach herself to cook by watching the Food Network after school.

Who knows what will motivate this year’s Best Teen Chef 2004 to get busy in the kitchen? But Saturday, May 22, it could be that the next Bobby Flay, Rachael Ray or Emeril Lagasse will launch their career by winning The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef 2004 title, plus a full tuition scholarship worth $30,000 to study culinary arts.

Now in its fifth year, the competition moves to the sunny West Coast and The Art Institute of California, Orange County. Nineteen talented high school students from all across the country will put their culinary skills to the test at the national event, competing for a total of nearly $200,000 in scholarships.

The Best Teen Chef culinary scholarship competition was created to encourage young culinary talent to choose a career in the culinary industry. Each competitor prepares the same menu, with the exact same ingredients, using identical equipment. A timed competition, Cook Off competitors are judged on taste, presentation, cleanliness and mise en place (organization).

What will the next generation of top chefs be preparing at this year’s event? With the move to the West Coast, the menu is inspired by the regional cuisines of California and Hawaii and those states’ abundance of fresh vegetables, fruits and seafoods. This year’s menu features macadamia-encrusted mahi mahi with tropical fruit salsa, and a refreshing chilled avocado and cucumber soup.

According to Chef Paul Yarmoluk, academic department director, Culinary Arts Chef, this year’s menu is especially challenging. “Everybody thinks they can prepare fish, but seafood of any kind, requires a light touch and precise timing.”

Last year’s winner, Patricia Homma, was the first female ever to take the title. Prior to that, all winners had been young men. Chef Yarmoluk isn’t willing to hazard a guess whether the guys will make a comeback this year.

“It’s all about poise and confidence in the kitchen, and remembering important basics like tasting, checking oven temperatures, and staying focused,” he said.

For entry information on the 2005 event, go to www.artinstitutes.edu/nc or call (888) 328-7900.

The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu/nc), with 30 education institutions located throughout North America, provide an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals. The Art Institutes have provided career-oriented education programs for 40 years, with more than 140,000 graduates.

— ARA Content