"No Regrets"
This is Brittany Porter's approach to almost everything in life. She doesn't want to ever wonder, "what if?" This is why she was convinced she had to enter The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef Competition 2009. Brittany is the first place winner of the local competition representing The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Tampa. She will go on to The Best Teen Chef Final Round Competition in Charlotte, NC on May 9, 2009. Brittany is a senior at Lake Weir High School in Ocala, Florida. She is a four-year culinary student who says she fell in love with culinary arts because there was no limitation to what she could create.
At first, she wasn't sure what she wanted to do as a career. She just knew she couldn't sit at a desk all day and had to be able to move around. It all clicked for Brittany when she took catering as part of her culinary curriculum. Lake Weir's catering class is often hired for weddings and other events. She realized she loved impressing the school's clients, meeting new people, and learning while on the job. Because Brittany doesn't want to go to work just to get paid, she knew there was something special in the way she felt when she created innovative dishes and helped brides feel less stress on their special day.
She won over the local Best Teen Chef judges with her presentation/plating and cleanliness. Chef Sven Ulrich from the Grand Hyatt of Tampa Bay said that surgery could've been performed on her work space. Brittany's understanding of the importance of eliminating cross-contamination is stellar. She is thorough not only in her method, but in how she wants to climb the ladder of success. She is adamant about "working her way up." She knows her success is dependent upon attacking the areas in which she is the weakest, learning from those more experienced than her, taking all the opportunities offered to her, and learning about international foods.
Brittany loves experimenting and finding new flavors. She is curious about the multitude of delicacies that exist around the world. She says she's more than willing to apply her "no regrets" mantra when tasting snails and other slimy items she may encounter on her journey. Her forte is taking known dishes and making them all her own with a new and unexpected twist. She loves making stuffed pasta shells. They are a hit every time. However, her experiment with home-made cinnamon rolls turned out to be one of her worst. She says they looked fine when they first came out of the oven, but afterwards, they were so hard they could've been used as a weapon! To Brittany, it's all about the learning experience. She says you just have to throw yourself into your goals, learn from the attempt at achieving them, and correct where needed. Sounds like a great recipe for success.