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12th Anniversary Stephan Pyles Culinary Scholarship Cook-off Competition
Named for Texas culinary legend Chef Stephan Pyles, known as one of the founding fathers of Southwestern cuisine, the Stephan Pyles Culinary Scholarship is a tribute to his remarkable contribution to the culinary arts in Texas. This scholarship is one of the many ways in which The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas fulfills its mission of providing education and research in the culinary and viticulture arts.
This scholarship challenge fosters the drive, passion and imagination in student chefs, thus furthering Texas’ great culinary legacy. It is challenging, demanding and requires skill, imagination and drive.
Now in its 12th year, the competition is rotated between culinary schools throughout the state and is judged by a number of Texas chefs and culinary experts each year, including Chef Pyles.The scholarship is funded through the Stephan Pyles Celebrity Chef Dinner which was held in Dallas at Stephan’s flagship restaurant on Sunday, December 4, 2011.
Be a part of the Texas' Culinary Legacy by sponsoring the dinner or scholarship. For more information or to become a sponsor, please contact
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.
THE CHALLENGE:
Open to all currently enrolled culinary students throughout Texas, the scholarship challenges students to create a unique three-course meal utilizing a predetermined ‘basket of food’ containing many Texas food products. The competition consists of two phases:
Phase One is the application phase, whereby menus and application packets are submitted. Entries are then blindly evaluated by an expert panel of The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas judges. Ten participants are blindly selected and sent to Chef Pyles for final evaluation. Chef Pyles then blindly selects the final three contestants.
Phase Two consists of the actual cook-off event whereby three finalists will be competing for two days by cooking and serving their menus to a panel of culinary experts (through a blind tasting). The cook-off will be held at the Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio on Saturday, March 17 and Sunday, March 18, 2012.
THE REWARD:
In addition to capturing the glory of being the 2012 Stephan Pyles Scholarship winner, the grand prize is a $15,000.00 scholarship made payable to the winner’s school. The winner also receives a $500.00 stipend to travel with Chef Pyles to a celebrity chef fundraising event in Los Angeles and the opportunity to present a course at the Stephan Pyles Annual Celebrity Chef Dinner & Live Wine Auction.
The two remaining finalists will each receive $1,000.00 scholarships made payable to their respective schools.
2012 WINNER: GABE ERALES
Gabe Erales, Le Cordon Bleu Austin:
 Born and raised in the border town of El Paso, Texas, Gabe Erales developed a passion for cooking and food early in life eating many of the authentic regional dishes his Mother would prepare daily for the large family of 6 boys and one girl in Chetumal, Mexico. Gabe’s parents moved to the U.S. from Chetumal, Mexico years before he was born and Gabe began working in restaurants as soon as he turned 16 beginning as a busboy and food prep. After high school, Gabe pursued a degree in Mechanical Engineering at University of Texas at Austin while working at various restaurants in Austin before obtaining his Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma. Shortly after graduate school he returned to Austin to work at Samsung Austin Semiconductor as a Mechanical Engineer working on cutting edge semiconductor technology. Throughout the later years of his life he had the realization that the only thing that truly fulfilled him was cooking. Regardless of the longest or hardest days faced, coming home and cooking with friends and family was what truly made him happy.
At the beginning of 2011 Gabe left Samsung for an engineering job that allowed him the flexibility to chase his dreams and attend culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Austin, TX. Since his enrollment he has maintained a perfect GPA while continuing to work in the semiconductor industry. Gabe’s culinary influences include his Mother, Diane Kennedy, Thomas Keller, Rick Bayless, Ferran Adria, and Tyson Cole. Gabe would eventually like to open his own farm to table modern Mexican restaurant.
RUNNERS-UP:
SaKinna Thomas, Le Cordon Bleu Dallas
Michael Wards, Le Cordon Bleu Austin
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Judges: Chef Stephan Pyles, Chef Tan Nguyen of Central Market, Chef Jason Dady, and Pat Sharpe of Texas Monthly.
Special thank you to our Cook-Off Host, the Culinary Institute of America - San Antonio and Sponsor Central Market.
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