PASTRY SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION 2009
Special Honoree – Executive Pastry Chef Naomi Gallego, Four Seasons Hotel, Austin
A large part of the The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas’ mission is to challenge, nurture and develop future chefs. Culinary scholarships are one of the many ways in which the Foundation accomplishes this goal.
Last year saw the launch of the new, annual Pastry Scholarship and Competition, named for Texas Pastry Chef Mark Chapman of Cookie Lounge in Austin. Each year the scholarship is named for a different Texas pastry chef who has made significant contributions to the industry.
This year, the special honoree was Executive Pastry Chef Naomi Gallego of TRIO and the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin.
Check our website in February and March for updates on the 2010 Pastry Competition.
Held on March 30 and 31st at the Texas Culinary Academy, three finalists battled it out by presenting five pastry challenges for a panel of judges. The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas is pleased to announce its 2009 Pastry Scholarship Winner, Liz Starling from the Texas Culinary Academy in Austin. Liz will receive a $5,000.00 scholarship and each runner-up will receive a $1,000.00 scholarship.
Scroll down below to meet our winner, finalists, judges and chairs.
2009 Pastry Winner
Liz Starling
Texas Culinary Academy, Austin
 Liz Starling is currently on an externship at a bakery decorating cakes in her home city of Corpus Christi. “The biggest challenge I faced was towards the end of the competition. Trying to manage my time while still putting the best product on the plate in a presentable fashion was a challenge. I learned a great deal along the way, including the ability to think on my toes because very little decision can really makes a difference in the final outcome. Overall the competition was friendly and a wonderful learning experience.”
Starling plans on pursuing a career in cake decorating after her graduation. “I see cake decorating as artistry where I can combine what I have learned at TCA along with my creativity.”
Finalist:
Katie Simmons
Art Institute of Dallas
 Katie Simmons was born and raised in the Dallas Fort Worth Area. She is currently a student at The Art Institute of Dallas completing an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts and Baking and Pasteries with an expected graduation date of December 2009. Upon graduation, she plans to attend Texas Women’s University to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary Arts.
Finalist:
Keri Cooper
 Originally from the Houston area Keri has lived in Austin for almost four years. She is the proud mother of a great 8 year old boy. She is currently apprenticing at Cake, Please (a custom order cake shop) and attending school at Texas Culinary Academy. Keri enjoy all aspects of baking and looks forward to finding her place in the pastry profession.
MEET OUR JUDGES
First Round Judges:
Quincy Adams Erickson
Steve Tipton
Addie Broyles
Second Round Judges:
Naomi Gallego
Executive Pastry Chef, Four Seasons Hotel, Austin
 Gallego is a graduate of St. Phillips College in San Antonio and soon thereafter took a position at La Mansion del Rio Hotel. She then headed abroad for a three-month stint as a pastry cook at Café Shubert in Saarbrucken, Germany – under renowned Swiss Chef Ralf Wellauer – which turned into an extended stay and after two years, she attended the prestigious Konditormeisterschule in Cologne, Germany. There, Gallego earned a Master Pastry Diploma, becoming one of only a handful of Americans to complete the master program in the past decade.
In 2003, Gallego returned to the United States, where she took a position as pastry chef at Vidalia in Washington, D.C. It was in this role that she first met Peter Smith, then Vidalia’s executive chef, and a wonderful working relationship was born. Chef Smith left Vidalia in the fall of 2004, and in August 2006, Gallego moved across town to join him at his restaurant, PS 7’s.
Creativity and a willingness to experiment, along with technical expertise and driving perfectionism, garnered Gallego glowing accolades from PS 7’s diners and the title of “Pastry Chef of the Year” from DC Modern Luxury Magazine in August 2007.
In March 2008, Gallego competed for another prestigious title as one of only 24 pastry professionals selected to participate in the International Confectionery Art Competition in Paris, France. After three grueling days Gallego and her partner placed fourth, earning themselves a spot among the top teams.
At TRIO, Gallego is responsible for crafting the restaurant’s dessert menu and overseeing the baking of the Hotel’s pastries and various homemade breads, including the parmesan popovers that have won TRIO a following of devoted diners. Recent awards and honors include top rankings on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2009 Gold List and Travel + Leisure’s “World’s Best 2009” list.
Marianne Schmidt
Whole Foods Market
Marianne Schmidt started her career on the east coast, working at local restaurants in the 1980’s; then attended the Culinary Institute of America, in Hyde Park, New York. She apprenticed at the Grand Hotel in Mackinaw Island, Michigan, after working a short time as a private chef in Boston. She then moved to Colorado, where she worked for the Marriott and then for a catering company for 13 years as their Executive Chef. During that time I served many dignitaries including President Clinton twice at the Air Force Academy Graduation as well as in 2003 the International NATO Conference, which was held in Colorado Springs. I then joined Whole Foods Market in 2004 and now head up the Whole Foods Market Culinary Center which offers full-service catering and cooking classes.
Philip Speer
UCHI Austin
 Philip Speer is one of Austin's most highly-renowned pastry chefs. Starting in 1994, Speer worked his way up from the grueling demands of a.m. baker at Cooks Night Out to pastry chef at Jean-Luc's Bistro where he created many memorable dinners and events while operating what was then Austin's youngest five-star restaurant.
While at Jean-Luc's, Speer was invited to do a dinner at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City.In 2003, Speer was sought out to help open Bank by Jean-Georges in Houston's Hotel Icon as the pastry sous chef at the Asian-New French fusion restaurant. It was here that Speer was able to meld together his experiences with different types of cuisine to create desserts that truly blended varied flavors and palates.
Laura Kelso
Food writer and blogger, Founder/Editor of Dishola.com
 Laura Kelso, Texas based culinary writer and editor, has written hundreds of food reviews, ranging from haute cuisine to trailer-fare, and has chatted with the great chef-minds behind each culinary creation. An international wanderer at heart, Laura has spent time studying cuisines, taking cooking classes, and eating around the globe. In addition to regularly contributing to Austin Monthly, the Austin American-Statesman and Texas Monthly, Laura has written for Travel + Leisure, and is the co-founder and Editor of Dishola.com, the popular website devoted to food reviews by the dish. She is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, a French international leadership organization comprised of women who have achieved success in the field of the culinary arts.
MEET OUR WFFT CHAIRS:
Quincy Adams Erickson
Fête Accompli
 Chef Quincy Adams Erickson is currently the owner of Fete Accompli,Inc., specializing in party food for takeout, delivery and full catering, located off 12th street across from the Tavern. Erickson was the previous owner of Amuse Bouche, LLC, a catering company. She is a graduate with honors of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France with the prestigious Grande Diplome de Cuisine et Patisserie. After returning to the States, she published two articles about her food adventures in France that appeared in the Austin American Statesman and is working on a book about her humorous experiences moving to and living in Paris and two cookbooks- “French Food with an Attitude” and “Basic, Classic, Eclectic”.
Erickson is currently serves on the Board of The Wine and Food Foundation of Texas after having served on the Executive Board of Texas Hill Country Wine Food Festival for 5 years and a volunteer or participant for 10 years. Currently, Erickson also teaches occasionally at Central Market including her new series, “Basic, Classic, Eclectic”.
Aimee Olson
Texas Culinary Academy
 Chef Aimee Olson has been the Department Chair of Baking and Pastry at the Texas Culinary Academy for the past five years. She was the Executive Pastry Chef at the four diamond Hotel Jerome in Aspen, Colorado during which time the chef was nominated times for the James Beard Award. She also worked as a Pastry Chef for James Beard Award Winner Barbara Lynch at No. 9 Park in Boston. Chef Olson was Assistant Pastry Chef at the Inverness Resort in Denver Colorado; and Catering Assistant at the Corner Bakery in Chicago, Illinois. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Denver; Certificate of Baking and Pastry and Certificate of Restaurant Management from The Cooking And Hospitality Institute of Chicago; and a Pastry Diplome from Le Cordon Bleu Paris. Chef Olson is currently the President of Les Dames D’Escoffier Austin Chapter.
2008 Pastry Scholarship Winner: Carrie Reed, Texas Culinary Academy
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