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Alyssa Marino
Lapeer West High School
The Art Institute of Michigan
Best Teen Chef 2009 Local Finalists - Detroit
Alyssa is a senior at Lapeer West High School and was recently named The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Michigan’s Best Teen Chef 2009.
Marino started cooking at a young age, a natural progression for someone like her who grew up in restaurants. Her mother taught her how to cook. She practiced her culinary skills by helping her mother with dinner and with food preparation at family gatherings.
When she’s not in the kitchen or at school, Marino likes to hang out with friends. She competes in culinary competitions at school and helps prepare dinners at the school.
After earning her culinary education, she hopes to open a restaurant and bakery.
What is her favorite type of food? Italian and especially anything pasta-related!
Read more about how Alyssa Marino won the Best Teen Chef
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Steven Maranto
Skyline High School Salt Lake City Utah
The Art Institute of Salt Lake City
Best Teen Chef 2009 Local Finalists - Salt Lake City
Steven Maranto graduated in January from Skyline High School, Salt Lake City, Utah. His first memories of the kitchen began with his Italian grandmother who loved to cook authentic dishes. Steven watched his father recreate some of the recipes he grew up with and thus began his love for cooking. Steve loves to cook polenta, a popular Italian side dish which can be found on the menu of high-end restaurants. His favorite dish to cook is homemade ravioli made with spinach and ricotta cheese. Everything is made from scratch, including the noodles.
Steven loves to spend his free-time outdoors in the Rocky Mountains, hiking and rock climbing in the summer and skiing and snowboarding in the winter. He loves being outdoors; the natural beauty and fresh air give him a sense of freedom.
Steven comes from a big family, where food plays an important role in family gatherings.
His family is excited that he has this opportunity to compete in The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef Final Round Competition
Read more about how Steven Maranto won the Best Teen Chef
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Emily Rose Levy
Bishop McDevitt High School
The Art Institute of Philadelphia
Best Teen Chef 2009 Local Finalists - Philadelphia
When Emily Levy played house with her friends as a child, they could always find her in the kitchen. “Other kids had Barbies, I had about 50,000 pieces of plastic food to play with.”
A senior at Bishop McDevitt High School in Wyncote, PA, Emily has loved food ever since she can remember. She picked up tips from her mom and dad, who both enjoy cooking, “but I also watched about a million hours of the Food Network,” she says, especially her favorite, “Good Eats,” with Alton Brown.
Her parents are very supportive of her interest in cooking, but it might be partly because they are benefiting from it. “Every year I cook them dinner on their anniversary,” she says. “I try to make it as fancy as I can. Last year I made them crabcakes with sweet potato and roasted asparagus. It was a really pretty dish. I am always interested in the artistic aspect, so I pay a lot of attention to plating and colors in a dish.”
She hopes some day to combine her love of cooking with her other interests in communication and drama into a dream job at the Food Network. Look out, Alton Brown!
Read more about how Emily Rose Levy won the Best Teen Chef
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Sarah Leedom
Cedar Falls High School
The Art Institutes International Minnesota
Best Teen Chef 2009 Local Finalists - Minnesota
Sarah Leedom gained interest in cooking when she began work at a local, upscale restaurant in Cedar Falls, Iowa. At home, she taught herself to cook by preparing simple pasta dishes, but, with practice, has honed her skills on Asian cuisine; her favorite Asian dish to prepare is Crab Rangoon. Sarah’s friends encourage her to excel and give constant feedback on her cooking. Like many teenagers, Sarah enjoys playing video games, watching movies, and spending time with her boyfriend. In school, Sarah has enjoyed English and business courses and expresses herself creatively through cooking, writing, and drawing. Between classes, homework, and working, Sarah volunteers her time in caring for her grandmother at home. After college, Sarah hopes to work in a Minneapolis restaurant as a sous chef. Ultimately, Sarah hopes to open a restaurant in Seattle, featuring global cuisine and specializing in Asian dishes.
Read more about how Sarah Leedom won the Best Teen Chef
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Kolbie Hefner
Pampa Senior High School Pampa TX
The Art Institute of Houston
Best Teen Chef 2009 Local Finalists - Houston
Kolbie Hefner, a senior from Pampa High School, in Pampa, Texas, is proud to be The Art Institute of Houston’s Best Teen Chef. She started cooking at a young age, helping in the kitchen whenever she could. “I loved being in the center of all the smells, flavors and ingredients that you can mix together to create something completely brand new,” Hefner recalls.
Cooking continued to be a family affair as Hefner began working for her aunt, who owned a high-end restaurant. Under her tutelage and that of another executive chef, she began honing her skills and gaining confidence in her ultimate career goal.
Even though much of Kolbie’s life revolves around becoming a professional chef, she finds a lot of enjoyment in cooking for her family. “I enjoy making meals that make my family happy. I practice on them all the time,” she says. “They are my guinea pigs, so to speak! My mom says that she will be glad when I become a real chef and show them all the new things that I have learned.”
Hefner is excited to come to The Art Institute of Houston to earn associate’s degrees in Culinary Arts and in Baking & Pastry.
Read more about how Kolbie Hefner won the Best Teen Chef
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Bernazir De la Cruz
Edward R. Murrow High School Brooklyn NY
The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
Best Teen Chef 2009 Local Finalists - Fort Lauderdale
Bernazir De la Cruz, 18, originally from the Dominican Republic and now a senior at Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, NY, won first place at The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef 2009 Local Competition, at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. De la Cruz is a self taught culinarian, honing her skills in her mother’s restaurant Carmen’s Dominican Bakery & Restaurant in Brooklyn. “I love cooking,” says De la Cruz, “I can express myself and let my imagination flow. I especially like to cook Spanish foods. My friends like Sancocho which is a bean, meat, plantain, pumpkin soup.”
De la Cruz says of her first place win in Fort Lauderdale, “I felt good because I practiced a lot and was prepared.” Her only regret was, “I wish I could have added more parsley.” She attended the school’s College Connection last summer, participating in a week-long workshop in the culinary program. “I knew then that this is where I wanted to go to school.”
Currently living in the Ridgewood area of Queens, NY, De la Cruz is passionate about her cooking and wants to be able to mentor other young people interested in culinary arts. “Where I come from, there aren’t a lot of opportunities for teens and I think cooking is a wonderful thing for them to get involved in.”
After graduating high school, De la Cruz plans to attend The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in October 2009. She hopes to one day own a restaurant and teach teenagers about the art of cooking.
Read more about how Bernazir De la Cruz won the Best Teen Chef
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Michael Copley
The Villages Charter High School The Villages FL
The Art Institute of Jacksonville
Best Teen Chef 2009 Local Finalists - Jacksonville
Michael Copley, a senior at The Villages Charter High School in The Villages, FL, started cooking in an aftercare program in middle school with Chef John Woods. Copley has been enrolled in culinary arts for three years at The Villages High School.
Copley earned his entry to the Best Teen Chef Competition by submitting his favorite recipe, Cedar Plank Salmon with Fennel Slaw and a Sweet Onion Chipotle Glaze. Copley said he tested four different sauces before deciding on the combination.
When he’s not at school, Copley likes to hang out with friends and enjoys his part-time job as a line cook. He said he enjoys the fun, fast-paced environment of the restaurant.
After earning his degree in Culinary Arts at The Art Institute of Jacksonville, Copley hopes to be a chef at a fine-dining establishment in New York City or Las Vegas.
Read more about how Michael Copley won the Best Teen Chef
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Brittany Porter
Lake Weir High School Ocala Florida
The Art Institute of Tampa
Best Teen Chef 2009 Local Finalists - Tampa
"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.
Read more about how Brittany Porter won the Best Teen Chef
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Olivia Campbell
London High School
The Art Institute of Ohio - Cincinnati
Best Teen Chef 2009 Local Finalists - Cincinnati
Olivia Campbell, a 17-year-old senior at London High School in London, Ohio was recently named the Best Teen Chef 2009 at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Cincinnati – Ohio. Olivia has been cooking with her mother and grandmother since she was nine or ten, but began getting serious about honing her culinary skills when she was about 15. Olivia began experimenting with all kinds of cuisine, with a particular interest in combining ingredients that seemingly do not fit well together. “I’ve always had a passion for making the eating process fun and delicious,” she says.
When she’s not in the kitchen dreaming up new dishes to delight her family and friends, Olivia stays busy at school as Senior Class president, a cast member of her school play, an active member of BOLD (Building Our Lives Drug Free) and with several art classes. She also has a part-time job babysitting and volunteers at her school and with hospice. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching movies, running, shopping and playing with her dog, Wednesday.
After she earns her culinary degree, Olivia says she hopes to open her own restaurant or bakery, but she’s open to other possibilities as well: “I don’t think I’d complain about having a cooking show!”
Choosing her favorite dish would be impossible, she says, because she likes trying new foods every chance she gets: “I cook anything and everything – at least once, anyway!”
Read more about how Olivia Campbell won the Best Teen Chef
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Brooke Roberts
Tippecanoe Valley High School Warsaw Indiana
The Art Institute of Indianapolis
Best Teen Chef 2009 Local Finalists - Indianapolis
Brooke Roberts is a well rounded young lady whose dream is to open her own bakery. In the city of Warsaw, just outside of Fort Wayne, Roberts grew up learning to love the kitchen. She credits her grandmother and mother with cultivating her dream. As a young child, probably seven years old, she started baking cakes and cookies with her grandmother. Now she enjoys preparing more advanced items such as homemade cinnamon rolls using an Amish recipe.
Roberts does not spend her whole time in the kitchen. She is a very involved senior at Tippecanoe Valley High School. When she is not mixing up pastries, you can find her on the tennis court with the rest of her school’s tennis team. She also governs her fellow students as the vice-president of student government, is a member of the mentoring program called Sunshine Society, and a member of the School Improvement Team. Roberts has done all of this while remaining nineteenth in her class of 182 students.
The Best Teen Chef Competition was a wonderful experience and the outcome pleasantly surprised Brooke. “I worked really hard because I am more of a baking and pastry cook,” said Roberts. “My work paid off and I look forward to perfecting the national cook-off recipes.” Mom and Dad are looking forward to more exotic recipes than chicken and rice.
Read more about how Brooke Roberts won the Best Teen Chef
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