Mesa High Student Named Local Best Teen Chef
PHOENIX, April 14, 2008 – This weekend, hundreds of high school seniors turned budding chefs took the first step toward launching what could be the beginning of their professional culinary careers.
On Saturday, April 12, high school seniors from across the U.S. and Canada competed in Best Teen Chef Local Cook-off Competitions at participating The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes locations throughout North America including The Art Institute of Phoenix.
The winner of The Art Institute of Phoenix’s Best Teen Chef Local Cook-off Competition is Joaquin Gaytan a senior at Mesa High from Mesa, Arizona.
Joaquin commented on his win “I am very honored to be selected as the local Best Teen Chef and excited to represent Phoenix in the National Cook-Off. My competitors were very tough and every detailed counted in the kitchen and at the judges’ table.”
The other teen chefs that participated in the local competition included;
Tricia DePanicis from, Fountain Hills High School,
Greg Alioto from East Valley Institute of Technology,
Justin Rhinehart from Arcadia High School,
and Everardo Ortiz from Kofa High School.
The panel of three local judges included; James Porter of Tapino Kitchen and Bar, Alan Hause of Fabulous Foods Catering and Lenard Rubin of SouthBridge Restaurant Group.
The 31 Local Cook-off Competition winners will proceed to the Best Teen Chef Final Round Competition on Saturday, May 17, at The Art Institute of Las Vegas.
Top prize winners in the Competition can win a full-tuition scholarship toward an associate's degree, certificate or diploma program to study Culinary Arts at one of the more than 30 participating Art Institutes locations.
In addition to a full-tuition scholarship and the title of Best Teen Chef 2008, the first place winner in the national competition, in partnership with Food Network, will be an "Intern for a Day" at the Food Network Kitchens in New York City. The winner will also receive a tour of the Food Network Studios, dinner for two at a Food Network chef's restaurant and a library of Food Network Kitchens cookbooks.
The Art Institutes created the Best Teen Chef competition in 2000 to encourage and recognize young culinary talent. According to Chef Joe LaVilla, Academic Director for The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Phoenix, “The interest in culinary arts among young people has literally soared in recent years.” Chef LaVilla explains, “This is due to many factors, among them, working parents, the proliferation of cooking shows on television, and the desire to participate in family traditions.”
For more information on the Best Teen Chef Competition, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/pr.aspx?ID=btc007 or contact The Art Institute of Phoenix, Ted Ciccone, Director of Communications, 602.331.7527 or Tciccone@aii.edu for additional information.
The Art Institute of Phoenix is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of over 40 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals.