Culinary scholarships are a matter of taste

Mel Meléndez
The Arizona Republic

PHOENIX - About 25 Arizona high school seniors will slice and dice their way toward more than $250,000 in scholarships in a statewide culinary arts competition today that aims to boost the ranks of those working in the food service industry.

"I'm a little nervous because there's so much at stake," said Metro Tech High School senior Maria Robles, 16. "But I'm also confident about what I've learned, so I think I'll do OK."

Robles joins students from throughout the state, including Eloy, Kingman, Show Low and Tucson, in the competition hosted by Metro Tech. Students are ranked on cooking techniques, preparation, sanitation, dress and attitude by leading Valley chefs, culinary school officials and members of C-CAP, Careers Through Culinary Arts Program.

The non-profit group, which promotes culinary arts education and doles out the scholarships, has awarded more than $1.6 million in the past 11 years. This year's scholarships range from $500 to $40,000 and winners will be announced Monday at a breakfast banquet at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Phoenix.

Robles, one of four Metro Tech participants, has her eye on a $30,000 scholarship to the Art Institute of Phoenix.

"The goal is to own my own restaurant one day," said Robles, who plans to study culinary arts and business management. "That's my dream."

It's a goal in line with the competition's mission, which aims to inspire high school students to seek food service careers, including restaurant management, said Barbara Colleary, coordinator of C-CAP Arizona.

"There are wonderful opportunities in management in the culinary arts field," she said. "So it's not just about cooking."

More than 10.2 million people worldwide are employed in the food service industry, according to the National Restaurant Association. But the demand for workers is growing, with the industry needing 515,000 more managers by 2006, the group estimates. Management positions also require knowledge of daily operations, said Metro Tech chef and instructor James Holman.

"So this is a fantastic opportunity for these kids to make contacts in the industry to get that field experience that they're all going to need," he said. "Learning the basic, day-to-day skills is critical to learning the business."

The competition kicks off at 9 a.m. with five juniors vying to win a week at Le Cordon Bleu in London or at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Juniors complete culinary math tests and intensive interviews. The seniors will fix Chicken Chasseur (baked chicken breasts in mushroom and shallot sauce), crepes, chocolate sauce and pastry crèmes.

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