Teens from all accross the U.S. and Canada are heading to Fort Lauderdale, but it’s not for Spring Break fun. Twenty high school seniors with goals and dreams of being culinary professionals are preparing to out-dice, out-slice and out-chiffonade the competition to win the sixth annual Best Teen Chef scholarship competition.

Michael Hammond, from Red Oak, Texas and senior at Red Oak High School will be in Fort Lauderdale to represent The Art Institute of Dallas.

At stake is a full scholarship worth $35,000 to study culinary arts at The Art Institutes. This year’s Best Teen Chef event will be held on Saturday, April 29th at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. In all, more than $200,000 in scholarships will be awarded.

Best Teen Chef competitors will participate in two heats held throughout the day, beginning at 8:00 AM and concluding at 1:30 PM. Scores will be tallied and winners will be announced by 3:30 PM.

This year’s menu, inspired by reginoal Florida cuisine, features a colorful and tasty Gulf Shirmp Martini with Floribbean Slaw, Tomato Salad with Avocado and Sherry-Chili Vinaigrette, and “Creative” style Sauteed Fillet of Fresh Fish. The last dish allows students to make creative use of various ingredients.

Culinary Director Chef Larry Matson at The Art Institute of Dallas explains that he is continually impressed with the level of skills he has seen among the competitors. “These young students have the unique opportunit to compete against others from all over the U.S. and Canada who are just as passionate about cooking as they are,” he says.

Chefs judging the event include Master Chef Friedenreich, Master Chef Raimund Hofmeister, Master Chef Walter Leible and Chef Walter Scheib, former White House Executive Chef from 1994 to 2005.

For the first time in the history of the competition, cameras will be allowed in the kitchens to cover the event as it happens.

Schools represented at this year’s Best Teen Chef event include The Art Institute of Atlanata, The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles, The Art Institute of Califronia - 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 Las Vegas, The Art Institutes International Minnesota, The Art Institute of New York City, The Art Institute of Philadelphis, The Art Institute of Phoeniz, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, The Art Institute of Seattle, The Art Institute of Tampa, The Art Institute of Vancouver, The Art Institute of Washington and The Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago.

For more ifnormation about The Best Teen Chef competition, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/btc.

The Art Institute of Dallas is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), with 32 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an improtant source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.