Posted by St. Louis Post Dispatch, MO on April 01, 2008 at 17:58:36:
Local student is a finalist for 'High School Chef of the Year'
By Joe Bonwich
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/02/2008
When Brett Eisen was in grade school, his teacher asked what he wanted to be when he grew up.
"Even then, I said I wanted to be a chef," Eisen remembers.
Now a senior at Parkway Central High School, Eisen seems certain to achieve his dream. Next week, he'll compete in Miami against nine other finalists for the title of Johnson & Wales University National High School Chef of the Year. If he wins, he'll get a full four-year scholarship to the university, which integrates culinary arts and nutrition training into a standard college curriculum.
But even if he doesn't win, as a finalist Eisen is ensured of a renewable $3,500 annual scholarship to Johnson & Wales. He plans to enroll at the Denver campus in the fall. Advertisement
Eisen, 18, is the son of Rick and Marci Mayer Eisen. He credits his mother and other family members with giving him a love of food. "I've also always been into the Food Network," he says.
He started exploring formal culinary training by attending a short seminar during his junior year at the Hyde Park, N.Y., campus of the Culinary Institute of America.
"A girl on the trip mentioned Johnson & Wales. I hadn't heard of it before," Eisen says.
Upon his return to St. Louis, Eisen approached institute graduate Bill Cardwell for a job at his Cardwell's at the Plaza restaurant. Meanwhile, Eisen entered the Johnson & Wales contest, which is open to both juniors and seniors, but he didn't place.
"I knew I had to enter again this year, and I knew I had to put a whole lot more effort into it," Eisen says.
One of his biggest challenges was disciplining himself to construct a recipe. MORE
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"I'd really never written down a recipe until that entry last year, and it really wasn't very good," Eisen says. "And despite how much I love to cook, I hadn't really cooked that much for anybody else. I basically just liked to open our fridge and see what we had and make stuff, to see what flavors and ingredients go with each other."
The theme for this year's contest is "healthy heritage," inviting contestants to draw upon their family heritage (or an ethnicity that strongly appeals to them) in putting together a healthy dinner or dessert. Eisen drew inspiration from a trip to Israel over the summer.
"There was an exotic Mediterranean feel in a lot of the food I ate," Eisen says.
While he was in Israel, his mother, Marci, read about a new Clayton restaurant, Oceano Bistro. The article noted that Oceano's chef, Jon Lowe, is a Johnson & Wales graduate. The family went to Oceano for dinner, and Eisen introduced himself to Lowe and told him of his plans to compete for the scholarship.
Lowe invited Eisen to come back another day and visit Oceano's kitchen. Eisen also went to local Mediterranean-themed restaurants Sofia's and Aya Sofia for inspiration. He scoured books and Internet sites for further menu ideas, and consulted the sites of the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society for guidelines on making his meal healthy.
Eisen then worked with Lowe every Wednesday for several weeks between lunch and dinner service at Oceano, eventually perfecting his entry: oven-roasted sea bass with citrus-scented Israeli couscous, sauced with a vanilla-tangerine reduction and topped with a fennel and watercress salad. He made the dish, photographed it and sent the picture and recipe to Johnson & Wales just in time for the March 3 deadline.
Eisen was in school one day a few weeks ago when one of his culinary arts teachers, Linda Trecker, found him to break the news: He'd made finalist and was headed for Miami.
"I was freaking out!" he recalls.
Looking forward to fall, Eisen also is excited about Johnson & Wales' location in the Rockies (one of four campuses; the others are in Miami, Charlotte, N.C., and Providence, R.I.) and his ability to play intercollegiate volleyball there. Eisen is co-captain of Parkway Central's volleyball team.
And when he gets his degree, he hopes to continue to combine his love of sports and his love of food: "My goal is to be a chef who travels with a sports team."
jbonwich@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8133