Teens in the Kitchen: What's Cooking with the Best Teen Chef in America?

(ARA) - For 17-year-old high school senior Anthony Tabb, the hours spent in the family kitchen watching his dad and grandmother cook has paid off in a big way.

Anthony is this year's winner of The Art Institutes National Culinary Scholarship Competition and the official title of "Best Teen Chef in America."

Open to high school students from all over the country, the cook-off offers more than $180,000 in scholarships to The Art Institutes Culinary Arts programs.

According to recent statistics, the number of high school students entering culinary school is on the rise, and with good reason, says Joseph Shilling, a chef director for The Art Institutes and a judge at this year's cook-off. "There's a rosy job market in the food service industry predicted through the year 2006," he says.

At this year's event, 24 students participated in a grueling two-hour cook-off, preparing a menu of tenderloin of beef, crab cakes and Caesar salad under the watchful eyes of six judges, including three master chefs who teach at The Art Institutes. For his considerable culinary skills, Tabb won a full scholarship to The Illinois Institute of Art Chicago, worth approximately $29,000. As the top winner, he also took home an induction stove with a complete set of professional quality stainless steel pots and pans, valued at approximately $1,500.

Joseph Messina, a high school senior from Sun Valley, Calif., who will attend The Art Institute of Los Angeles, was the second-place finisher, while Crystal Haire, a high school senior from Sunrise, Fla., who will attend The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, finished third. Both will receive full-tuition scholarships.

Now in its second year, the scholarship competition requires that interested students submit a notebook of information, including a two-course meal menu, recipes, photographs of each course and the meal, and a cost analysis of the menu. Additionally, students were asked for a descriptive paragraph of why they want to enter the culinary profession, along with a resume, transcripts and letters of recommendation.

For his application, Anthony submitted a menu of original recipes that illustrate his culinary philosophy so far. "I love creating art out of raw material and an idea," explains Tabb. And Tabb was not alone in his concern for "presentation," or how food appears on the plate. The students at this year's cook-off had "a terrific sense of how food should taste and appear," says Shilling. And according to Chef Shilling, that's a hallmark of a great chef. "People eat with their eyes, not just their palates," he explains.

Among Anthony's signature dishes are linguini with light pesto, spicy mussels in cream sauce, Tony's artichoke hearts and seasoned steak rolls. "You have to eat everyday -- why not make mealtime enjoyable, delicious and beautiful to look at," says Tabb, sounding just like a master chef already.

High school students interested in next year's competition can contact The Art Institutes at 1-888-328-7900 or visit www.artinstitutes.edu/nz and look for the Culinary Scholarship Competition link.

Courtesy of ARA Content, www.ARAcontent.com, e-mail: info@ARAcontent.com

SIDEBAR

Prepared by Anthony Tabb, First Place Winner, The Art Institutes National High School Culinary Cook-Off

Appetizer: Seasoned steak rolls in red sauce, accompanied by marinated artichoke hearts

Main Course: Italian shrimp and spicy mussels in cream sauce, accented by asparagus spears and linguini with light pesto

Seasoned Steak Rolls

(Anthony Tabb)

Ingredients:

- Approximately. 2 lbs, Skirt steak

- 2 Tablespoons Basil

- 1 Tablespoon Oregano

- 1 Tablespoon Black pepper

- Approximately 1/2 cup Onion (small)

- 2 cloves Garlic

- 2 Tablespoons Pignoli nuts

- 1 cup Extra virgin olive oil

- 3 feet Meat twine

Procedure:

Finely mince one small onion and set aside. Finely mince two cloves of garlic and set aside. Wash skirt steak under cold water. Trim off all fat. Tenderize skirt steak until the thickness is no greater than 1/4 inch. Cut skirt steak into 4 inch by 4 inch pieces. Paint one side of steak with olive oil (lightly). Spread two teaspoons of onion over the steak, on painted side. On top of the onion, spread 1/3 of the minced garlic. Evenly distribute one teaspoon of black pepper over the garlic. Follow with two teaspoons of basil and one teaspoon of oregano. Finish with two teaspoons of the pignoli nuts. Roll the steak into a tight log. It should resemble a slender jelly roll. Tie tightly with meat twine. Repeat two more times. Fry in olive oil approximately 15 minutes, or until browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove from pan and let drain. Remove twine and cut to desired effect (recipe and ingredients cut down to meet appetizer of menu).

Tony's Artichoke Hearts

(Anthony Tabb)

Ingredients:

- 1 Artichoke

- 1 Onion (small)

- 1 clove Garlic

- 2 teaspoon Basil

- 1 teaspoon Oregano

- 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper

- 1 Tablespoon Pimento, minced

- 2 Tablespoon Tarragon vinegar

- 1/2 cup Olive oil

Procedure: Wash artichoke thoroughly. Cut off stem. Lay artichoke on its side. Cut off top half of artichoke and discard. Remove about three layers of petals from the bottom half of the artichoke, or until the smaller, more tender petals appear. Boil in water for about 25 minutes. Remove from water and set aside. Finely mince small onion. 1/2 cup is needed. Finely mince garlic clove. In a medium frying pan, add 1/4 cup olive oil. Clarify the onions and garlic on very low heat. Do not let brown. While it is cooking, use a flat object such as a pancake turner to press the onions down. A very tender and translucent onion mixture will result. Remove from heat and add basil, oregano, black pepper and pimentos. Add remaining oil and the vinegar. Stir thoroughly. Take the cooled artichoke and cut in half down the center. Remove spiny inner petals and marinate in mixture (recipe and ingredients cut down to meet appetizer of menu).

Red Sauce

(Anthony Tabb)

Ingredients:

- Tomato puree, 28 ounces tomato only

- Tomato paste, 5 ounces tomato only

- 1 Onion (small)

- 1 clove Garlic

- Pork neck bone, 1 bone with meat

- 2 teaspoons Basil

- 1 teaspoon Oregano

- 1 Bay leaf

- 1 teaspoon Black pepper

- 2 Tablespoons Olive oil

Water, use as needed

Procedure: Finely mince small onion and clove of garlic. In a two-quart saucepan, clarify onion and garlic in one tablespoon olive oil. Do not brown. Add the pork neck bone into the onion and garlic with additional olive oil, and cook halfway through. Put tomato puree and half of the 5 ounces can of paste into the saucepan. Fill the 5 ounces paste can halfway with water and add to saucepan. Add basil, oregano, bay leaf, and black pepper. Stir together and cook on very low heat for three hours. Do not let bottom burn. Remove neck bone and bay leaf before service (recipe and ingredients cut down to meet appetizer of menu).

Spicy Mussels in Cream Sauce

(Anthony Tabb)

Ingredients:

- 4 Mussels

- 1 pint Half & half cream

- 2 Tablespoons Butter

- 1/4 cup Flour

- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder

- 1 teaspoon White pepper

- 1 teaspoon Paprika

- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

- 2 Tablespoons Olive oil

Procedure: Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan. Add flour and stir until yellow-colored. Add half &half and stir until smooth. Add garlic powder and white pepper and bring to a low boil. Remove beards and rinse and scrub mussels in multiple changes of water. Add mussels to cream sauce. Cook until mussels open, and disregard any that stay closed. In a small mixing bowl, add olive oil, Tabasco and paprika. Add hot sauce to individual mussels when served with sauce (recipes and ingredients are cut down to meet main dish of menu).

Italian Shrimp

(Anthony Tabb)

Ingredients:

- 8 medium Shrimp

- 1 Onion (small)

- 1 clove Garlic

- 1 Tablespoon Basil

- 1 Tablespoon Oregano

- 1 Tablespoon Black pepper

- 2 teaspoons Paprika

- 1/4 cup Olive oil

Procedure:

Remove shell from shrimp and wash shrimp well. Finely mince 1/4 cup onion. Finely mince garlic. Coat shrimps with pepper, basil, oregano and paprika. Clarify onions and garlic in olive oil, do not brown. Add shrimp to onions and garlic, and cook through (recipes and ingredients cut down to meet main dish of menu).

Linguini with Light Pesto

(Anthony Tabb)

Ingredients:

- 1/4 pound Linguini

- 1 ounce Fresh basil leaves

- 1/4 cup Olive oil

- 1 small clove Garlic

- 1 teaspoon Salt

Procedure:

Boil salted water and add linguini. Wash basil leaves and finely mince. In a small bowl or blender cup, add olive oil, basil and minced garlic. With a hand blender, puree until very smooth. Pass mixture through a fine sieve and set aside. When linguini is "al dente" (cooked just enough to retain a somewhat firm texture), remove from water and toss with light pesto (recipes and ingredients cut down to meet main dish of menu).