Brooklny HS Senior wins Best Teen Chef Competition

New York, NY (March 21, 2007) – This weekend, Jeffrey Palma impressed the judges with his cool in a very hot kitchen.

Jeffrey took the top prize at The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef 2007 Local Competition held at The The Art Institute of New York City Institute of New York City. A senior at Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School, Palma chopped, simmered and sautéed his way past his fellow competitors to win a shot at taking the Best Teen Chef title and a full-tuition scholarship worth approximately $40,000 at the Best Teen Chef 2007 national competition to be held on Saturday, May 5 in Dallas, Texas.

“I can’t believe I won,” said Jeffrey. “I was really nervous and the competition was tough. The judges walk around and watch what you’re doing, and shout out how much time is left and it’s totally nerve wracking. But I just put my head down and focused on the basics – good taste, beautifully presented.”

Students prepared a menu of Shrimp Cocktail, Sauteed Breast of Chicken, Fresh Broccoli and Rice Pilaf. They had 90 minutes to prepare their dishes, and were judged on taste, cleanliness and mise en place (organization, taste and presentation).

According to Chef Director Ken Goodman, “We had an exceptional group of competitors here today – they all did extremely well, but we can only send one to Dallas, and Jeffrey Palma showed that he had the talent and focus to succeed in the national event.”

Jeffrey Palma will join 22 other high school seniors traveling on to Dallas. In all, The Art Institutes will award over $250,000 in tuition scholarships.

Participating Art Institute campuses include The Art Institute of Atlanta, The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles, The Art Institute of California – Orange County, The Art Institute of California – San Diego, The Art Institute of Charlotte, The Art Institute of Colorado, The Art Institute of Dallas, The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, The Art Institute of Houston, The Art Institute of Indianapolis, The Culinary Institute of Las Vegas, a division of The Art Institute of Las Vegas, The Art Institutes International Minnesota, The Art Institute of New York City, The Art Institute of Philadelphia, The Art Institute of Phoenix, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, The Art Institute of Seattle, The Art Institute of Tennessee – Nashville, The Art Institute of Tampa, The Art Institute of Vancouver, The Art Institute of Washington and The Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago.

For more information on the Best Teen Chef Competition, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/btc or contact Midge Elias at 212.625.6027.
The Art Institute of New York City is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), with 34 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals.
Contact:

Midge Elias
Director of Public Relations
The Art Institute of New York City
75 Varick Street 16th Floor
New York, NY 10013
212.625.6027
melias@aii.edu
http://www.artinstitutes.edu/newyork/