Aspiring Chefs Head for the Kitchen in The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef and Culinary Scholarship Competitions in March

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Aspiring chefs will put their kitchen skills to the test during March to compete for scholarships to The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes schools. This year, more than 300 finalists were selected from the entries submitted for the opportunity to showcase their culinary talents.

The finalists will battle it out in intense cook-off competitions in one of two categories – high school seniors (The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef Competition) and high school graduates (The Art Institutes Culinary Scholarship Competition). Forty locations of The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes will host a cook-off competition.

Each finalist will prepare a two-course meal from recipes distributed in advance. The meal, which must be prepared and served in two hours, consists of a Shrimp Cocktail, Sauteed Breast of Chicken with Creative Garnish, Rice Pilaf and Broccoli Saute.

The aspiring chefs will be judged on five technical skills including knife skills, safety and sanitation, organization, cooking techniques and clean-up, and five qualities of the finished dishes – temperature, taste, texture, portion size and presentation.

The Local Cook-off Competitions will be judged by professional chefs and culinary faculty, who will name one first place winner in each of the two categories. A second place winner will also be named in the high school senior category. The winners will earn tuition scholarships – $4,000 for the first place winner and $1,000 for the second place winner in the high school senior category, while the first place winner of the high school graduate category will earn a $1,500 tuition scholarship. 

"Students who have the enthusiasm, passion and creativity needed for these competitions tend to become successful graduates and professionals in the food service industry.  We are excited to be able to develop their raw talent through our role as culinary educators," says Chef Michael Nenes, Assistant Vice President of Culinary Arts for The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes.

For more information, visit www.aicompetitions.com/culinary or http://www.multivu.com/players/English/58517-the-art-institutes-international-culinary-schools-best-teen-chef-scholarships/.

About The Art Institutes
The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu) is a system of more than 50 schools located throughout North America. The Art Institutes schools provide an important source for design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals. Several institutions included in The Art Institutes system are campuses of South University or Argosy University. OH Registration # 04-01-1698B; AC0165, AC0080; Licensed by the Florida Commission for Independent Education, License No. 1287, 3427, 3110, 2581. Since The Art Institutes is comprised of several institutions, see aiprograms.info for program duration, tuition, fees, and other costs, median debt, federal salary data, alumni success and other important information.

SOURCE The Art Institutes