Teen chef does well

Evan Walter, a senior at Shawnee Mission West High School in Shawnee Mission, Kan., proved he could take on Southern heat at The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef semifinal cook-off March 12 at The Art Institute of Atlanta.

After two grueling hours of chopping, blanching,sautéing, saucing, and plating under the watchful eye of the floor judge and interrupted for a few minutes to bandage a cut finger, the budding chef sent his creations to the tasting judges at precisely 1:06 pm. But it wasn't until 5:30 that afternoon, during the awards presentation, that Walter learned he had won a gold medal, a scholarship worth more than $23,000,and a chance to compete as a finalist at The Art Institutes Best Teen ChefScholarship Competition national cook-off in Philadelphia on May 14. There he'll be up against 18 other finalists from each of The Art Institutes with a culinary arts program, all competing for the title of Best Teen Chef, and additional scholarships worth at least $30,000.

However, the South held its own in the other medal winners. The silver medal and a tuition scholarship worth approximately $11,500 went to Christopher J. Davis, from Fayette County High School in Fayetteville, Ga., and the bronze medal and a tuition scholarship worth approximately $5,800 went to Michael Richardson, from Milton High School in Alpharetta, Ga. Davis serves as alternate should Walter be unable to compete.

A total of ten students competed in Atlanta and more than 150students competed across the U.S. and Canada for the 18 finalist slots. All prepared the same menu: shrimp cocktail, chicken chasseur, rice pilaf, and sautéed broccoli. The student culinary hopefuls were judged by chef faculty and professionals on cooking technique, sanitation, organization, timing, clean up,food temperature, taste, texture and doneness, portion size, and presentation.

Chef James W. Paul II, department chair at The Art Institute of Atlanta, says, "Now in its sixth year, The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef Culinary Scholarship Competition offers young, talented chefs the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and possibly win scholarships that will allow them to get the education for a rewarding career in the field of culinary arts."

Founded in 1949, The Art Institute of Atlanta (www.aia.artinstitutes.edu) is a diverse, dynamic institution of higher education whose mission is to educate students for creative careers. TAs of fall 2004, approximately 2,650 students attend The Art Institute of Atlanta, of whom 75 percent are from Georgia, with the remaining students representing 42 states and 33 foreign countries.