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

PITTSBURGH, April 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- This spring, aspiring chefs with a love and passion for food will put their kitchen skills to the test as they compete for tuition scholarships at The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes across North America.

The Local Cook-off Competitions will be judged by professional chefs and culinary faculty. Each of the 38 Art Institutes schools offering a culinary program will name one first place winner in each of two categories – one for high school seniors (The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef Competition) and one for high school graduates (The Art Institutes Culinary Scholarship Competition). A second place winner will also be named in the Best Teen Chef Competition for high school seniors at each participating Art Institutes school. 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, while the first place winner of the high school graduate category will earn a $1,500 tuition scholarship. 

The competitors will each 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, 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 system of schools has expanded this opportunity to high school graduates.   

"The level of enthusiasm, passion and creativity that we've seen from the students who compete in our culinary scholarship competitions underscores the important role that the culinary arts play not only in the students' lives, but in the lives of their families and friends – and the community. We are delighted to be able to develop that raw talent through our role as culinary educators," says Chef Michael Nenes, Assistant Vice President of Culinary Arts, The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes. 

To find out more, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/culinary or http://www.multivu.com/players/English/51391-art-institutes-best-teen-chef-and-culinary-competition.

The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu) is 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. OH Registration # 04-01-1698B, AC0165, AC0080, Licensed by the Florida Commission for Independent Education, License No. 1287, 3427, 3110, 2581. 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