THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 15, 1994 TAG: 9407130149
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Education
SOURCE: BY ROBYNE R. COOKE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
ARMED WITH THEIR favorite cooking utensils, three aspiring chefs prepared to meet their challenge: poached chicken in chive sauce, tournae vegetables and a crepe with vanilla custard and chocolate sauce.
They would be vying for prizes and scholarships in a contest offered through Johnson and Wales University, a culinary arts school in Norfolk.
``What they were looking for is how you conduct yourself - to see if you've been in a kitchen before,'' said Chris Lowe, a Great Bridge High School graduate. ``They're looking for your procedures.''
Lowe was one of nearly 35 contestants from across Hampton Roads who entered the preliminary competition this spring. While they were frying omelets at Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach, judges were looking for culinary technique, organization and the final product.
The day was a success for Lowe and his two high school classmates, Robert Burnop and Doug Ausderau. All three had made it to the next level of competition.
This time, they were told what the recipes would be. At home and at school, the trio began practicing incessantly for the vegetables, the crepe and the poached chicken.
``I bought a 25 pound bag of carrots to practice the tournae vegetables,'' Burnop said with a laugh. ``My family ate carrots for a long time.''
Tournae vegetables are cut with five to seven sides and blunt ends, demonstrating the chef's skill with a knife, he said.
``I was very nervous, but we had bounced ideas off each other,'' Ausderau admitted.
When they entered the kitchens at Johnson and Wales, they were ready to compete against the 11 other hopefuls.
``I played it real cool,'' Burnop said. ``I had it set in my mind - how the main dish and dessert plates would come out at the same time.''
Burnop is his own worst critic. This is, after all, an art where a botched color scheme or entrees touching the rim are simply gauche.
``I wasn't really too pleased with the looks of it,'' he said. ``I should have looked into more magazines for designs.''
Judging was based not only on how fast the food was prepared, but also on its artistic appeal and taste.
The contestants had only two hours to complete the meal. Ausderau had actually sketched his display on paper days before the event. ``You have to have the colors work together,'' he explained.
The determination of the cooking friends paid off.
Burnop walked away with the first-place prize, a full scholarship to Johnson and Wales University, worth about $37,000.
Lowe won a $12,000 scholarship to the Swiss Hospitality Institute in Washington, Conn.; and Ausderau won a $10,000 scholarship to Johnson and Wales.
``Whether or not I won the scholarship, I had already determined that I would make cooking a career,'' Ausderau said.
Ausderau and his friends weren't originally drawn to the culinary arts. They took a catering class at Great Bridge High because they thought it would be fun - not a career path.
While taking the yearlong course as seniors, the trio heard about a cooking contest sponsored by the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program.
The program was started in 1991 by Richard Grausman, a New York cooking teacher who hoped to improve cooking in traditional home economics classes, said Marisa Marsey, spokeswoman for Johnson and Wales University.
Ready for a challenge, the three signed up.
All three would-be cooks have worked for Locks Pointe Restaurant at Great Bridge. Ausderau, who started as a dishwasher about two years ago, was thrilled when he was finally able to help prepare food.
``When I actually got to help, it piqued my interest,'' he said.
Now, Ausderau's goal is to be a chef on a cruise ship, while Burnop hopes to become head chef at a resort or hotel. Lowe isn't sure where he'll end up working, but he's determined to stay close to the kitchen.
Lowe admits he loves to watch the cooking shows on cable television. He credits those shows and working at Locks Pointe with helping him become an organized cook.
``If you have a recipe, anybody can do it,'' said Lowe. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by L. TODD SPENCER
Chris Lowe, left, won a $12,000 scholarship, and Doug Ausderau won a
$10,000 scholarship in a recent cooking competition.
by CNB