Prepping for practice

Hey! Wait a minute! Isn't practice all about preparation?

It's a classic "yes, but" instance.

Here's why: If you don't show up at the practice sessions for this year's C-CAP finals (March 17, practices EVERY Saturday until then!) with a game plan in mind, it will be difficult to hit your stride and maximum potential at the finals.

So, here are a few tips from Arizona's C-CAP director, Jill Smith. Let's begin with some general advice:

• Keep ALL the equipment you need in one place (like a bus tub) and only use that equipment when you practice. (Make a list of every tool or piece of equipment, along with your products and - literally - check things off as you pack.) Using this method will help you know exactly what you need and what you don't need.
• Make sure you taste everything.
• Practice working in the same amount of space you will have at the finals: two (2) burners and about three (3) feet of counter space.
• Make sure that you taste everything.
• Use a thermometer to check your chicken for doneness.

This week, practice will focus on your chicken dish, including those trickey tourneed potatoes. Here's how to get set for actually moving that chicken chasseur from prep to plate:

1. First, tourne potatoes.

2. Blanch potatoes.

3. Season chicken.

4. Saute chicken, transfer to pie tin and into the oven.

5. Make the sauce.

6. Finish potatoes.

7. Plate chicken and take one to the judges' table, one to the presentation table.

Treat the chicken well. Arizona C-CAP is delighted that Redbird Farms is once again generously providing their high-quality chicken both for practice and for the final competition. (Take a look at Redbird Farms web site through the link off to the right margin here.)

Don't forget - final competitions do add and subtract points for your plate presentations. This Saturday's practice would be a good time to ask Jill or any of the judges who might be available about tips on plating!

What you need to know about practices...

Here are a few things you need to keep in mind as you're prepping for this weekend's FIRST practice for C-CAP's final competition, set for March 17 at EVIT in Mesa.

Check this blog for more information - including recipe and presentation tips, from last year's competition experience and from this year's judges!

1. Follow the recipes! The only place for creativity in the Final Competition is in plating, you must follow the recipes as written. There are also helpful hints in your recipes and on the C-CAP website, www.ccapinc.org.

2. Check out C-CAP AZ blog for tons of competition information, hints, judge’s comments and preliminary competition photos at c-cap-arizona.blogspot.com.

3. Recipes can be downloaded from www.ccapinc.org, click on Arizona, click on Competition, click on Final Competition Recipes

4. Make sure you bring ALL equipment that you need to the finals. You can only use what you bring, no borrowing or sharing. You need two (2) sauté pans - one for your chicken and one for your crepes.

5. Make sure you have the correct kitchen uniform - including proper footwear - NO tennis shoes. When you arrive at the finals, you will receive a C-CAP jacket, an apron, and a hat. The hat you will be given to wear is a tall paper toque, so make sure your hair will be completely contained.

6. You must bring your own chicken stock and chicken glaze - all other food items will be provided.

7. Strawberries will be provided to garnish your crepe (optional).

8. Olive oil and clarified butter will be provided to brown your chicken - Chef Humphrey suggests that you use olive oil.

9. Cold butter will be provided for your sauce.

10. New potatoes will be provided for tournes.

11. Make sure you are using cornstarch in your pastry cream - no flour.

12. You will make two plates of the chicken dish and two plates of the crepe dish. One for judges tasting and one for presentation.

13. Presentation plates will be provided by the competition site.

14. You are required to stay after the cooking competition for an interview with Richard Grausman, Founder and President of C-CAP. Students coming the greatest distance will be interviewed first. The last interview may be as late as 7pm. Remember, you want Mr. Grausman to spend as much time with you as possible so that you can convey which scholarships you are most interested in and this process takes time.

15. Lunch will be provided.

And the finalists are….

Just 30 students from across Arizona will compete in the 2012 Careers in Culinary Arts Program scholarship competition finals this March.

Judges at the preliminaries noted that many of the students in competition demonstrated good knife skills; several judges noted that organization and learning how to season appropriately should be priorities as they prepare for finals.

(Check this blog over the next weeks. There will be continuing updates from judges' notes and more as the date for finals approaches!)

Here are the students who will be competing (save time! It's in alphabetical order, high school following name, divided between juniors and seniors):

Seniors

Christopher Andrade, Valley Vista/West MEC

Jeremy Ballester, Casa Grande

Francis Balmes, Casa Grande

Carrie Beletz, Moon Valley/West MEC

Jessica Beekman, Flagstaff

Wye Eun Chung, EVIT/Corona del Sol

Daniel Clark, Moon Valley/West MEC

Alejandro Cuevas, Metro Tech/Camelback

Sabrina Denney, Canyon del Oro

Jeremy Dichoso, Vista Grande

Rebecca Eltringham, Chino Valley

Kristina Emmett, Cactus/West MEC

Alyssa Falshaw, Flagstaff

Petra Fierro Acosta, Metro Tech/Alhambra

Danielle Flanery, RS Kellis/West MEC

Chelsey Hacker, EVIT/Apache Junction

Alexandria Martinez, Maricopa

Govanny Murillo, Wickenburg/West MEC

Mason Nelson, Casa Grande

Roczanne Orr, Blue Ridge

Brandy Pennnick, EVIT/Apache Junction

Jack Quijada, Metro Tech

Crystae Rohman, Basha

Oscar Sanchez, Metro Tech

Royce Schittenhart, Canyon del Oro

Crystal Sellers, Santa Rita

Calena Srutowski, EVIT/homeschool

Patrick Tribbett, Kingman

Emery Van Gilder, Catalina Magnet

Samuel White, EVIT/Dobson

Juniors

Gustaco Alegria, North

Taylor Bergant, Maricopa

Nichole Carpenter, Canyon del Oro

Courtney Clardy, EVIT/homeschool

Elizabeth Cuka, Chino Valley

Christopher Owens, North Canyon

Autumn Parrish,Payson

Kanisha Twitty, Poston Butte

Kate Watson, Liberty

Kenny Wietholter, Vista Grande