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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rebecca Robinson
The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas
512.327.7555 office
512.350.4621 cell
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The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas Announces $15,000 Stephan Pyles Scholarship Winner
Austin, Texas – April 3, 2006 – The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas is pleased to announce Ms. Carolyn Bream of the Texas Culinary Academy in Austin as its Sixth Annual $15,000 Stephan Pyles Culinary Scholarship winner. Bream beat out two other chefs in a statewide “Iron Chef” style cook-off on Sunday, March 26th at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio.
The three student finalists battled both Saturday and Sunday in San Antonio to prepare and present a three-course meal they invented using a pre-determined “basket” of Texas ingredients, which included such challenging items as lamb, oysters and okra.
Traditionally held in Austin, this year’s competition took place in San Antonio for the first time at St. Philip’s College. In future years it will be rotated throughout major Texas cities to better reflect the competition’s statewide nature.
Ms. Bream, the 2006 winner, holds a BA in Theatre and Dance from James Madison University. She lives in Austin and is a first-year student at the Texas Culinary Academy. “I just can’t believe it – this is a dream come true,” she exclaimed after the announcement on Sunday. Carolyn aspires to eventually combine her two passions of food and performance into her own cooking show.
Bream’s victorious menu included a chipotle-infused chicken consommé with goat cheese polenta and sugared jalapeños, an entrée of roast lamb in a puff pastry ring with curried apple and onion ragout, butternut squash and pecan-cilantro pesto timbale and leek terrine, followed by a dessert of maple and white chocolate glazed Baltimore with a sweet pecan filling.
The two other finalists in the competition were Benjamin Merritt from the Art Institute of Dallas and Steven Rutledge of the Art Institute of Houston.
Now in its sixth year, the Stephan Pyles Culinary Scholarship Cook-off is considered one of the most prestigious culinary competitions in the Southwest. Open to all Texas culinary students throughout the state it is named for renowned Texas chef and author Stephan Pyles, a pioneer of Southwestern Cuisine.
“ This competition raises the bar for student chefs in Texas. It’s an exciting yet rigorous challenge that will enhance students’ skill and creativity just by entering,” stated Chef Pyles. “Our intention is to help shape the future of Texas cuisine.”
The Foundation’s Scholarship and Awards Committee is responsible for setting and monitoring the rules governing the selection process. A blind tasting of the contestants cuisine is administered at the cook-off in order to conceal the identities of judges and contestants from each other until a winner is declared.
As winner, Ms. Bream will receive a $15,000 check to the Texas Culinary Academy to help cover her tuition. In addition, she will be given the opportunity to travel with Chef Pyles to a celebrity fundraiser in California this September. She will also assist Chef Pyles with the Foundation’s Stephan Pyles Celebrity Chef Dinner on November 5th at Pyles’ new flagship restaurant, aptly named Stephan Pyles, in Dallas. This star-studded dinner funds the scholarship each year.
Quincy Adams Erickson, Scholarship Chair and Foundation Board Member, was responsible for coordinating the competition. Erickson is a Paris-trained Le Cordon Bleu Chef and co-owner of Amuse Bouche Catering in Austin.
Previous winners of the Stephan Pyles Scholarship include Jesus Lugo of El Paso, Christina Van Zandt, Natalie Guerrero and Jodie Liwanag all of Houston, and Susan Harkness of Austin.
The competition was hosted by St. Philip’s College Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Culinary Arts, and sponsored by HEB, with support from Ace Mart, Aqua Panna & San Pellegrino waters. Catering was provided by the RK Group in San Antonio.
About The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas
The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas is a statewide organization dedicated to recognizing and developing creativity, professionalism and state of the science research in all areas of the culinary and viticultural arts. The Foundation provides grants, scholarships and fellowships to outstanding individuals and other entities who achieve excellence in these areas.
About St. Philip’s College
St. Philip’s College, one of the Alamo Community Colleges serving the greater Bexar County region, is a comprehensive community college designated as both a Historically Black College and a Hispanic Serving Institution. St. Philip’s College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. For more information on St. Philip’s College Culinary Program visit http://www.accd.edu/spc/tourism/ .
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