Aspiring Chefs Head for the Kitchen to Compete for Scholarships

Aspiring chefs with a love and passion for food will put their kitchen skills to the test as they compete for tuition scholarships at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 21, at The International Culinary School at The Art Institutes International Minnesota (15 S. 9^th St., Minneapolis).

The Local Cook-off Competition will be judged by professional chefs and culinary faculty, who will name one first place winner and one second place winner in The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef Competition for high school seniors. The winners will earn tuition scholarships – $4,000 for the Best Teen Chef first place winner and $1,000 for the Best Teen Chef second place winner.

This year’s four finalists were selected from all entries submitted to have the opportunity to showcase their culinary talents. The finalists in the Best Teen Chef category include: Anthony Quinlan of Roseville, Minn., Gabrielle Gawreluk of St. Paul, Minn., Danah Cleaton of Duluth, Minn. and Katherine Burris of Norwalk, Iowa.

The competitors will each prepare a two-course meal from recipes distributed in advance by The Art Institutes. The meal, which must be prepared and served in two hours, consists of a Shrimp Cocktail, Sautéed Breast of Chicken with Creative Garnish, Rice Pilaf and Broccoli Sauté. The aspiring chefs will be judged on five technical skills including knife skills, safety and sanitation, organization, cooking techniques and clean-up, as well as five specific qualities of the finished dishes – temperature, taste, texture, portion size and presentation.

The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef Competition, now in its twelfth year, is an opportunity for high school seniors across North America interested in pursuing a culinary career to experience the excitement and discipline of the industry. For the first time this year, The Art Institutes have expanded this opportunity to high school graduates. The International Culinary School at The Art Institutes International Minnesota will not host a Culinary Competition for high school graduates in 2012. Cook-off competitions for The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef and Culinary Scholarship Competitions will also be held at other participating International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes schools across the U.S. and Canada in April.

The Art Institutes International Minnesota is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of more than 45 educational institutions located throughout North America. The Art Institutes schools provide an important source for design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals. Several institutions included in The Art Institutes system are campuses of South University. See aiprograms.info for program duration, tuition, fees, and other costs, median debt, federal salary data, alumni success, and other important info.