The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef 2006 Competition Is Looking For You.  If you can take the heat, The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef 2006 competition is for you.

High schools seniors and budding chefs from across North America are eligible to enter the Best Teen Chef 2006 competition and vie for more than $200,000 in scholarships.

The top prize winning student receives a full-tuition scholarship valued at more than $35,000 to study culinary arts at The Art Institutes and the title ‘Best Teen Chef’.  Past Best Teen Chef winners have appeared on NBC’s Today Show, CBS Early Show, CNN, Fox & Friends and the Ellen Degeneres Show.

The Art Institutes created the Best Teen Chef competition in 2000 to encourage and recognize young culinary talent. According to Culinary Director Chef Larry Matson of The Art Institute of Dallas, “The culinary arts industry is a rapidly growing profession as interest among young people ages 16 to 19 continues to grow.” However, says Matson, “it’s a highly competitive field that requires a top-notch culinary education to succeed.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2004-5 Occupational Outlook Handbook predicts a healthy job growth in the culinary industry through the year 2012.

The deadline to enter the competition at The Art Institute of Dallas is February 10, 2006.

The Best Teen Chef competition takes place in two stages. First, there is a local competition to be held on March 11, 2006 at The Art Institute of Dallas.

Following the local competition, 20 finalists from throughout North America will attend the national Best Teen Chef 2006 Cook-off to be held on April 29, 2006 at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.

For Brent Lewis, the first-ever Best Teen Chef winner from Loveland, Colorado, the competition “was an amazing opportunity to meet kids from all over the country with the same ambition as you.” After graduating from The Art Institute of Colorado, Lewis was hired as an executive chef at a new upscale steak restaurant in his hometown. “I did everything
from planning the menu, to ordering food from vendors, to hiring staff,” says Lewis. He credits his culinary training for giving him “the confidence and skills to bring off a successful restaurant launch.”

Students interested in entering can visit www.artinstitutes.edu/btc or contact The Art Institute of Dallas at 214-692-8080 for additional information.