Teens' culinary skills to be tested at cook-off

The aromas of tangy kumquats and melting chocolate waft through the kitchen. Garbed in white chef's coats, jeans and sneakers, a handful of teenagers heat and stir ingredients, eyes never wavering from the morphing mixtures in their pots and pans.

At 8:30 in the morning, the Kentlake High School students in Cecilia Stec's Careers in Culinary Arts class work companionably, brushing elbows in a space connected to Stec's classroom where a full-size washer and dryer have been squeezed between a walk-in refrigerator and a small prepping island.

They're dicing and frying, plating and tasting, generally just cramming for a statewide cook-off at the 2007 ProStart Invitational this weekend. Sunday's culinary competition at South Seattle Community College will push four-member teams from 26 Washington high schools to create a three-course meal in under 60 minutes.

"It's like a mini 'Iron Chef,' " said Zarah Matsuda, Kentlake's "mentor chef," referring to the television show.

For the past four years, the former sous chef at The Golf Club at Newcastle has taken her own time to e-mail students about recipes, show them new techniques and oversee their contest training. And under her tutelage, they have excelled: in 2005 and 2006, Kentlake placed third in the culinary competition.

Reproducing their original recipes in an open arena with two burners, no ovens and no stoves, the students will be judged by local chefs on categories such as creativity, technique, presentation, flavor, texture, teamwork and cleanliness. Last year's students won about $175,000 in scholarships for continuing culinary education. Sunday's top culinary team will represent the state of Washington at next month's nationals in Charlotte, N.C., competing with students from 34 other states for a chance at more scholarship money.

"With this competition, it's like a real business," said senior Kelsey Ward, captain of Kentlake's team. "You can't really screw up. You have to do it on your own."

Organized by the Washington Restaurant Association Education Foundation, the contest is an extension of the ProStart restaurant and food-service management program, launched by the National Restaurant Association about a decade ago to expose students to the industry.

In Washington, the culinary competition has grown over the years from 15 schools in 2001 to 26 schools this year, said Libby McDonald, the foundation's ProStart coordinator. Stec said she believes in events like this. "Any time you put a student in competition, it's an accelerated learning," she said. "They're learning all kinds of timekeeping skills, teamwork skills, communication, planning, organizing."

Amanda Granberg, a junior at Kentlake, gets a rush from the sessions with Matsuda. "I like how it's fast-paced," she said. "Earlier today, I had to prepare the rice, melt the chocolate for the mousse and prepare the beurre blanc sauce for the main course, all at the same time."

Matsuda helped her students dream up the Japanese-inspired menu with dishes like Pan-Seared Salmon with Wasabi-Soy Crust, Green Tea Rice, Sautéed Pea Vines and Ginger-Plum Butter Sauce, and White Chocolate Mousse with Kumquat Sauce.

But this year's group is her most challenging team yet, Matsuda said. Because of a scheduling mix-up at Kentlake, the students have had only two months to get ready for the cook-off — so the foursome will be competing against many others who, like Kentlake's past teams, started in September.

Although they admit to being a bit nervous, for the most part the students believe they'll do fine. "I think we have a really solid menu," Granberg said. "And Zarah's really helped us make everything professional."

"Culinary competition and athletic competitions have a lot in common," McDonald said, "because you have to practice, practice, practice — and improve."

Matsuda agrees.

"It's just like a sports team," she said. "Last year, two days before the competition, we had to call in the alternate."

Kentlake senior Chris Frazier will play that position this year.

While Matsuda gave tips on measuring and chopping, Frazier took notes for a tool-and-ingredient list.

"We're gonna do good," he said. "I'm the alternate, so if someone cuts their finger off, I'm there to step in and help."

Judy Chia Hui Hsu: 206-464-3315 or jhsu@seattletimes.com

Information in this article, originally published March 24, 2007, was corrected March 24, 2007. In a previous version of this story, the information box did not make it clear that the cook-off is on Sunday, March 25 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Other events were held on Saturday, March 24.