CONTACT: Rebecca Robinson
The
Wine & Food Foundation of Texas
512.327.7555
office
512.350.4621
cell
robinson@winefoodfoundation.org
Dallas Student Sweeps $15,000
Stephan Pyles Scholarship Cookoff
Austin,
Texas – March 18, 2007 – The Wine & Food
Foundation of Texas is proud to announce its Seventh Annual
Stephan Pyles Culinary Scholarship Cookoff winner, Tagan Gann-Couch
of the Art Institute of Dallas beat out two other student chefs
in a statewide Iron Chef style cook-off on Sunday,
March 18th at the Center for Foods of the Americas 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 mostly
Texas ingredients, which included many challenging ingredients
such as oysters, squash, okra and Texas goat cheese.
Traditionally
held in Austin, the contest will now be rotated between four
Texas cities each year, Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.
This year the Foundation selected San Antonio for the second
year in a row due to the opening of the Center for the Foods
of the Americas – the new state-of-the-science
non-for-profit culinary school recently opened at the renovated
Pearl Brewery.
Ms.
Tagan Gann-Couch, the 2007 winner, is from Wichita Falls, Texas
and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of New
Mexico. She relocated to Dallas to pursue becoming a chef,
working for Gaylord Texan, one of the finest hotels in the
Southwest, for two years before attending the Art Institute
of Dallas to pursue her culinary degree. She will graduate
in December of 2007. Tagan then plans on pursuing a degree
in hospitality management followed by a Master’s Degree
in Education. Her end goal is to become a chef educator.
“I appreciate being included in the top three finalists.
This was a great experience that will enrich my culinary career,” Tagan
stated.
The
championship menu included ‘Shrimp in a Nest’ appetizer
paired with San Martino, Chenin Blanc 2005, an entrée
of Flat Iron Roulade with Smoked Tomato Hollandaise Spinach Custard,
Star Squash and Spicy Grits paired with a Flat Creek Shiraz and
a dessert which was Mango Vino Flan with Su Vino Sweet Symphony
wine.
The
two other finalists in the competition were Chris Wilson and
Carlos Mehdi from the Texas Culinary Academy in Austin.
Now
in its seventh year, the Stephan Pyles Culinary Scholarship
Cook-off is considered one of the most prestigious culinary
competitions in the Southwest. Open to culinary students throughout
the state it is named for renowned Texas chef and author Stephan
Pyles, a pioneer of Southwestern Cuisine and recently named ‘Chef
of the Year’ by Esquire magazine.
“We want to help shape the future of Texas cuisine,” stated
Chef Pyles. “This competition is a true test of knowledge,
skill, imagination and grace under fire. It’s excellent
training for the marketplace. Just going through the application
process is a challenge and will help prepare young chefs for
the increasing demands of the workplace.”
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. Pat
Sharpe, Senior Food Editor for Texas Monthly leads the
judges’ panel. Other 2007 judges included Chef Stephan
Pyles, Thierry Burkle from L’Etoile in San Antonio, and
Jonathan Parker, Chef and restaurant consultant in San Antonio.
As
winner, Tagan will receive a $15,000 check to the Art Institute
of Dallas to help cover tuition. In addition, she will
be given the opportunity to travel with Chef Pyles to a celebrity
fundraiser in California this fall. Tagan will also assist Chef
Pyles with the Foundation’s Stephan Pyles Celebrity Chef
Dinner 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 Owner of Fête
Accompli, a party
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 and Carolyn Bream
of Austin.
The
competition was hosted by the Center for Foods of the Americas,
and sponsored by H-E-B, with additional support from Aqua Panna & San
Pellegrino waters.
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 viticulture arts. The Foundation provides grants, scholarships
and fellowships to outstanding individuals and other entities
who achieve excellence in these areas.
The Center for the Foods of the Americas
Located in the gateway city to Mexico and Latin America, the
San Antonio Center for Foods of the Americas is a private,
not-for-profit, culinary school dedicated to providing the
world’s best education to aspiring professionals. For
more information on the Center for the Foods of the Americas
culinary program visit www.foodsoftheamericas.org.
H-E-B
Food for the Cook-off provided through charitable funding from
H-E-B, www.heb.com.
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