Posted by Press-Enterprise, CA on April 13, 2008 at 11:57:27:
Best Teen Chef competitors have fun with food
10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, April 12, 2008
By JERRY SOIFER
The Press-Enterprise
SAN BERNARDINO - Cooking became a sport Saturday as 11 Inland-area high school seniors sliced, minced and sautéed their way through 2 ½ hours in the kitchen in the Best Teen Chef 2008 Competition.
The winner was Kevin Agra, 18, of Los Osos High in Rancho Cucamonga. He'll receive a $3,000 scholarship and an all-expenses-paid trip for himself and a relative to Las Vegas for a national cooking contest on May 17. First place at the nationals wins the champion a scholarship worth about $80,000 to a culinary institute of his or her choice.
Enrique Lucatero, 17, of San Gorgonio High in San Bernardino, won a $2,000 scholarship by taking second place. He did not have high expectations when he finished, saying he was glad to finish in the allotted time.
The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of California-Inland Empire in San Bernardino hosted the competition Saturday. It provided the white uniforms and hats, the chicken, broccoli, rice, shrimp, sauces and trimmings, and most of the tools -- the students brought their own knives.
Nereim brought his knives in a special case. Cynthia Contreras, 17, of Fontana, wrapped her knives in a towel.
"I practiced," Cynthia said. "I didn't want to cut a finger off."
The contestants have been students in the passport program at the Art Institute for seven months. In addition to being successful in a semifinal competition, they had to write essays, submit recipes and provide a transcript showing they had at least a 2.0 grade-point average.
The contestants each wore a number on the shoulder of their white uniform. A camera on a tripod videotaped the action. Six cooked in the morning, five in the afternoon.
The students unanimously seemed to favor the Food Network for their own entertainment. Greg Nereim, Scott's father, said they make bets on their favorite chefs in cooking competitions on the Food Network. "He's won a lot," the elder Nereim said.
The students were given a recipe of sautéed chicken, rice pilaf, sautéed broccoli and shrimp cocktail ahead of time. The students spent last week cooking for their parents.
"She made chicken yesterday," Hector Contreras said of his daughter, Cynthia. "It tasted real good."
Many students had a hard time sleeping the night before the competition.
"I kept thinking about it," said Francisca Moya, 17, of San Bernardino High. "It was my first time competing at anything."
The jitters continued during the competition. Charmaine Williams, 17, of Moreno Valley High, said she didn't finish her tomatoes. She said she did well making the shrimp cocktail.
Erik Goebel, 17, of Sultana High in Hesperia, said he overcooked the broccoli, causing the floret to fall off the stems. "It was more fun than nerve-wracking," Erik said.
Family members watched the competition through a window. Stan Goebel said he would probably destroy his son's confidence if he could yell through a screen like at a Little League game.
Many of the contestants looked forward to opening their own restaurants. Some cook for their own families.
Erik Goebel's mother, Therese, said she isn't a cook herself. "If he didn't cook, he wouldn't eat."
After the cooking finished, the competitors retired to the lounge to relax with their families. After cooking a meal filled with healthy ingredients, they were offered pizza.
Reach Jerry Soifer at 951-893-2112 or jsoifer@PE.com