Best Teen Chef 2005

The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef Competition Turns Up the Heat On Budding Professional Chefs

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PITTSBURGH (January 31, 2006) – For high school seniors who find themselves watching cooking shows on TV and thinking „I can do that,“ it’s time to take the next step and enter The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef 2006 scholarship competition.

At stake is an opportunity to win a full tuition scholarship worth more than $35,000 to study culinary arts at The Art Institutes, and the prestigious title „Best Teen Chef.“

The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef competition awards over $200,000 in tuition scholarships to high school seniors from across North America with dreams of becoming an executive chef, a restaurant owner or television cooking show host.

The Art Institutes created the Best Teen Chef competition in 2000 to encourage and recognize young culinary talent. According to Chef Michael Nenes, Assistant Vice President of Culinary Arts for The Art Institutes, „Over the last several years, we’ve seen an explosion in interest among young teens in the culinary arts, and much of this is because of the popularity of cooking shows on television.“

Many past competitors in The Best Teen Chef competition have said that they have learned to cook watching television. However, says Nenes, „Chefs on television make things look easy, but most current professional chefs have had thorough training at an accredited culinary school, and years of experience.“

The culinary arts field has become popular for other reasons as well, including predictions by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics 2004-2005 Occupational Outlook Handbook that the industry boasts a healthy job growth through the year 2012.

The Best Teen Chef competition takes place in two stages. A local competition will be held on March 11, 2006 at 20 Art Institutes locations throughout North America including: The Art Institute of Atlanta, The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles, The Art Institute of California – Orange County, The Art Institute of California – San Diego, The Art Institute of Charlotte, The Art Institute of Colorado, The Art Institute of Dallas, The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, The Art Institute of Houston, The Art Institute of Las Vegas, The Art Institutes International Minnesota, The Art Institute of New York City, The Art Institute of Philadelphia, The Art Institute of Phoenix, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, The Art Institute of Seattle, The Art Institute of Tampa, The Art Institute of Vancouver, The Art Institute of Washington and The Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago.

Following the local competition, 20 finalists will attend the national Best Teen Chef 2006 event to be held on April 29, 2006 at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.

The deadline to enter the competition is February 10, 2006.

For Brent Lewis, the first-ever Best Teen Chef winner from Loveland, Colorado, the competition „was an amazing opportunity to meet kids from all over the country with the same ambition as you.“ After graduating from The Art Institute of Colorado, Lewis was hired as an executive chef at a new upscale steak restaurant in his hometown. „I did everything from planning the menu, to ordering food from vendors, to hiring staff,“ says Lewis. He credits his culinary training for giving him „the confidence and skills to bring off a successful restaurant launch.“

The Art Institutes system of 32 education institutions is located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals. The Art Institutes system of schools has provided career-oriented education programs for over 40 years. For more information visit The Art Institutes website at www.artinstitutes.edu/btc.

Contact Info
Barbara Vilanova
For The Art Institutes
412/242-0796
[email protected]