Cooking Up Scholarships: Winners of 16th Annual National High School Recipe Contest Announced
DENVER — February 12, 2005 — The University that graduated Emeril Lagasse and Tyler Florence announces two winning members of the next generation of culinary professionals: Michelle Novak of Wellington, Ohio, and Christopher Schmidt of Acworth, Ga., are the grand-prize winners of the 16th Annual National High School Recipe Contest held this weekend at Johnson & Wales University. The two students, who both plan on culinary careers, took home full-tuition four-year scholarships to the University, valued at more than $75,000 apiece.
Television viewers will be able to experience the weekend soon; High Noon Productions, producers of several prime-time series for E.W. Scripps Networks' Home & Garden Television and Food Network, filmed the entire contest, and expects to air the program sometime during this next year.
Novak’s recipe is "Seared Salmon with Beet Risotto, Sautéed Spinach, Wild Mushrooms and a Beet and Carrot Microgreen Salad with Carrot Sauce." Novak's inspiration for the recipe came from a lone extra beet at 9 Bar and Bistro, where she works. The next day at school, the class explored risotto. She decided to incorporate the beet with the rice and see what happened. Luckily, it helped her create a dinner good enough to make the finals. A guitar player, Novak also participates in 4-H and is an officer on the Junior Fair Board, a year-round responsibility that culminates in the Lorain County Fair.
Novak was the only contestant to receive 100 percent on her kitchen score, reflecting her superb professionalism under pressure. Tasting judge Andy Husbands — J&W alumnus award-winning chef/CEO of Ate Seasons Restaurant Group and author of "The Fearless Chef"— commented, "Overall, this dish rocks! Keep cooking and learning and you'll be a god."
Schmidt’s recipe is "Citrus Vanilla Panna Cotta with an Orange Gelee, Apple Dried Fruit Compote, and an Oatmeal Crisp Base." Schmidt is no stranger to the restaurant business, as his parents both worked in the industry. He currently holds a full-time job as garde manger chef at the Marietta Country Club; he says, "I feel having this job is much greater than any club or activity that high school can offer. Not only is this job giving me a huge head-start on my career, it is also teaching me responsibility and work ethic." He credits his chef, John Nishiyama as his inspiration. When not cooking, Schmidt loves to snowboard.
Tasting judge Shaemus O'Brien, who won the dinner category of the 1991 contest, awarded Schmidt 100 of 100 points, calling the dish "very impressive." And Stanton Ho, executive pastry chef at the Las Vegas Hilton and winner of international pastry awards, praised the texture of the panna cotta and the creativity of the oat granola base.
In all, nearly half a million dollars in scholarships was awarded to the 20 finalists. In addition, Johnson & Wales' industry partners donated the following prizes: cutter set from Ateco, gifts from Barry Callebaut USA, backpacks from Cintas, Chef’s knives from F. Dick Corp., gift baskets from Nestle USA Culinary Food Services, food processors from Robot Coupe USA, frying pans from The Vollrath Company and handheld blenders from Waring Products, Inc.
Each year, Johnson & Wales invites senior-year high school and vocational students to participate in the recipe contest. The contest consists of two categories: (1) a family dinner for four, including main entrée, vegetable and starch; and (2) dessert. Contestants are asked to follow the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association nutrition guidelines when planning their menu entries.
The entries were judged by a panel of food professionals on the basis of taste, cost effectiveness, ease of preparation, presentation and appearance, nutritional value, originality, calorie content and creativity. The judges included:
Wolfgang Bierer, CMPC, CEC, CCE, AAC, a certified American Culinary Federation (ACF) judge and culinary educator.
Noel Cunningham, owner of Strings Restaurant in Denver.
Stanton Ho, executive pastry chef at The Las Vegas Hilton.
Alumnus Andy Husbands, award-winning chef/CEO of Ate Seasons Restaurant Group and author of "The Fearless Chef." (copies of which he gave to the winners).
Elaine Khosrova, senior editor at Santé Magazine.
Cary Neff, president of the consulting firm Culinary Innovations and author of "Conscious Cuisine."
Alumnus Shaemus O’Brien, executive chef with the Hilton Corporation at the Double Tree Hotel in Aurora, Colo., who won the 1991 High School Recipe Contest
Marlene Swanson, RD, who teaches baking technology and nutrition classes at Johnson & Wales University’s Denver Campus.
"This annual contest is one of the highlights of the year," said Karl Guggenmos, dean of the College of Culinary Arts. "So many talented young people are here on campus, whether incoming students competing in the event, or current students helping behind the scenes. Year after year, the dishes presented to the judges exceed everyone’s expectations; from vanilla-infused sweet potatoes to ricotta soufflé with margarita sauce, the level of creativity and skill is amazing."
winning recipes
Johnson & Wales — America's Career University® — was founded in 1914. It is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business, food service, education, hospitality and technology. Preparing students for successful careers is the cornerstone of the University's educational philosophy. A benchmark of the University has been its 27 consecutive year employment record — within 60 days of graduation, 98 percent of its students from the 50 states have jobs in their chosen career field. With an enrollment of more than 16,000 students, Johnson & Wales maintains campuses in Providence, R.I., Charleston, S.C., Norfolk, Va., North Miami, Fla., and Denver, Colo. In September 2004, it opened its newest campus in Charlotte, N.C.
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