Surviving the Heat of the Kitchen

You’ve seen aspiring singing idols, survivors in the wilderness and gold-medal athletes. Now meet the Best Teen Chef in America Patricia Homma, who sautéed, roasted and whisked her way to the top award in a national high school Culinary Arts scholarship competition sponsored by The Art Institutes, a leading educator in design and culinary arts nationwide.

After an intense two-hour cook-off, competing with 17 other high school seniors from around the country, Homma, an honors student at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga., was awarded the gold medal and a $30,000 scholarship to attend The Art Institute of Atlanta. The competition was held at The Art Institute of New York City.

Homma dreams of having all her family and friends celebrate every holiday at her home, the way it was at her mom’s house growing up in Brazil. After she moved to the United States in 1997, Homma began to watch cooking shows on television after school and was inspired to try some recipes and start cooking for her family. She’s been cooking ever since, for her friends as well. Although busy with work and a local youth group, she still finds time to watch Food TV, where her current favorites are "Iron Chef" and "30-Minute Meals with Chef Rachael Ray."

Each contestant submitted a three-course menu as part of the entry requirements. Homma’s menu was titled "Tropical Sensations" and featured spinach and mango salad and grilled salmon (recipes below).

Now in its fourth year, The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef in America competition is an annual scholarship program that seeks to spotlight and recognize the most promising young culinary talent in the country. Eighteen high school seniors and would-be chefs were selected as finalists at regional competitions held in March at each of the Art Institutes where Culinary Arts programs are offered. More than $190,000 in tuition scholarships was awarded to the top nine finalists.

Next year’s Best Teen Chef 2004 competition will take place at The Art Institute of California - Orange County on May 22. Deadline for entries is Feb. 13, with local cook-off competitions taking place March 27. To receive information, register at www.artinstitutes.edu/today.

First through third place winners received $30,000 scholarships from The Art Institutes. In addition to Homma, second place finisher Lauren Cianfrani, representing The Art Institute of Philadelphia and Jenny Winiecki, representing The Art Institutes International Minnesota, who finished third, received $30,000 scholarships.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Today, 18 Art Institutes offer degrees in Culinary Arts in Atlanta, Arlington, Va., Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Calif., Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Diego and Seattle.

The Art Institutes system of 28 education institutions is located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals. The Art Institutes system of schools has provided career-oriented education programs for 40 years with more than 140,000 graduates. For more information, visit The Art Institutes Web site at www.artinstitutes.edu/nc.

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Recipes

Spinach & Mango Salad

1 fresh mango

1/2 package of fresh spinach

Garnish

1/4 cup of croutons

Peel the mango and with a carving spoon, carve the mango so it will be in a round shape. Wash the spinach in cold water and soak it with water and a teaspoon of white vinegar for 15 minutes. After soaking, strain the spinach and dry with a paper towel.

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup of olive oil

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons poppy seed

(Dressing yields six servings)

Take the Dijon mustard and blend with the sugar, salt, pepper and olive oil. After mixing everything, add the vinegar gradually. Then place the dressing in another container. Add the poppy seeds and mix it with a spoon.

Plating

First place the spinach on the plate, then the mango, followed by the dressing. At the end add croutons to garnish.

Grilled Salmon & Fresh Dill Sauce

1 pinch of salt

1/2 lime

1/2 cup of cooking wine

1 salmon filet

Take the salmon filet and sprinkle with salt. Cut the lime in round slices and place it in a bowl with the wine. Place the filet in the bowl and let it marinate for about 40 minutes. Use nonstick butter spray to grill the filet for 4-5 minutes per side.

Fresh Dill Sauce

1/4 cup of small diced cucumbers

1 tablespoon of dill leaves

2 tablespoons of champagne vinegar

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 pinch of salt

1 pinch of paper

(Sauce yields two portions)

Mix the diced cucumber with the dill leaves, then salt and pepper in a bowl. Gradually add the champagne vinegar and olive oil

Plating

Cut the filet in half and place one on top of the other diagonally. With a spoon, place the sauce over the filet.