Students reap high praise, dollars for dreams as rising culinary pros

"Every year, it's harder and harder to judge (the finals)," says C-CAP Arizona's lead judge, chef Glenn Humphrey, Arizona Culinary Institute.

"The students show improved execution, their presentations are good. The skills are higher - and they're smarter, with higher GPA's. This is great!"

"I was so impressed," says C-CAP's founder and national chairman, Richard Grausman.

"These students show a mastery of basic skills and that's the foundation. They show good technique, a good demeanor - and real passion. There's a lot of talent already visible.

"I have to commend the teachers."

This year's C-CAP Arizona scholarship winners:

Chrystae Rohman, Basha HS: C-CAP Education Scholarship - $1,000

Roczanne Orr, Blue Ridge HS: C-CAP Education Scholarship - $1,000

Kristina Emmett, Cactus HS: C-CAP Education Scholarship - $1,000

Danielle Flanery, RS Kelis HS: C-CAP Education Scholarship - $1,000

Sabrina Denney, Canyon del Oro HS: C-CAP Education Scholarship - $1,000

Francis Balmes, Casa Grande HS: C-CAP Education Scholarship - $1,000

Crystal Sellers, Santa Rita HS: C-CAP Education Schoalrship - $2,000

Wye Eun Chung, EVIT: C-CAP Education Scholarship - $2,000

Jeremy Ballester, Casa Grande HS: Mark Tarbell Scholarship - $2,000

Patrick Tribbett, Kingman HS: Barbara Colleary Scholarship - $2,000

Petra Fierro-Acosta, Metro Tech HS: ACF Chef's Assoc. Arizona Scholarship - $2,500

Jessica Beekman, Flagstaff HS: Barbara Fenzl Scholarship - $3,500

Emery Van Gilder, Catalina Magnet HA: Tracy Fierros Memorial Scholarship - $1,000 and the Getting Our Just Desserts Scholarship - $3,000

Alexandra Martinez, Maricopa HS: Central Arizona College Presidential Scholarship - $2,520 and the James Beard Foundation Scholarship - $3,000

Rebecca Eltringham, Chino Valley HS: Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Scholarship - $5,000

Jeremy Dichoso, Chino Valley HS: Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Scholarship - $5,000

Carrie Beletz, Moon Valley HS: Beau MacMillan Scholarship - $5,000

Chelsey Hacker, EVIT Mystery Chef Scholarship - $5,000

Alejandro Cuevas, Metro Tech HS: C-CAP Education Scholarship - $3,000

Giovanny Murillo, Wickenburg HS: Le Cordon Bleu full-tuition scholarship for the certificate - $17,500

Calena Srutowski, EVIT: Arizona Culinary Institute professional program half-tuition scholarship - $14,000

Jack Quijada, Metro Tech HS: Classic Cooking Academy full-tuition scholarship - $15,000

Daniel Clark, Moon Valley HS: New England Culinary Institute full-tuition scholarship for the associates' degree - $51,500

Brandy Pennick, EVIT: The Art Institute of Las Vegas half-tuition scholarship - $21,645

Mason Nelson, Casa Grande HS: The Art Institute of Tucson full-tuition associates' program scholarship - $43,290

Alyssa Falshaw, Flagstaff HS: The Art Institute of Phoenix Scholarship for the Culinary Arts - $50,000

Christopher Andrade, Valley Vista HS: The Art Institute of Phoenix Scholarship for the Culinary Arts - $50,000

Samuel White, Dobson HS/EVIT: The Art Institute National full-tuition scholarship - $80,088

Oscar Sanchez, Metro Tech HS: Culinary Institute of America full-tuition scholarship for the bachelor's degree - $96,880

Royce Schlittenhart, Canyon del Oro HS: Johnson & Wales University full-tuition scholarship - $104,448

Congratulations, everyone! See you at College 101!

Ready for your close-up?

Let’s face it. Going for a little chat with people who 1) are basically strangers to you, and 2) hold a very important part of your future in their hands is more than a little daunting.

You want to be as ready and relaxed (but alert!) when you walk into that final C-CAP scholarship interview.

So here’s what you do to give yourself an advantage.

Pack a little survival assistance into your kit for the competition. Add a clean shirt (a t-shirt is okay), a face cleanser, and a toothbrush or even just some mouthwash or breath freshener.

After the plate presentation judging, take a few minutes to get to the rest room, wash your face, and put on a clean shirt. Yes, ladies – you can fix your make up, too.

No, you absolutely do not need to do this. But it will make you feel better and more prepared for the rest of the day.

When you walk into the interview, here’s what to do:

Smile and greet each judge individually. Look each person in the eye (briefly!).

Mention that you’re happy/glad/pleased to be there (“It’s great to finally be here.” “I’m really happy I made it here.” --- You get the idea.)

Before you answer each question, stop for just a second to take a breath. It will help to relax you and also gives you a moment to think.

Make sure you have at least one or two questions you can ask the interviewers.

Finally, before you leave, say thank you to the interviewers. (“Thanks for talking with me. I appreciate the opportunity to be here.”)

With a calm, collected presentation, you’ll make the best impression. And you can walk out of the interview being positive you’ve done your best.

Don't even think about....

You’ve read and re-read your C-CAP application and essay.

You checked out every page on the national C-CAP web site, so you know the history and you know Richard Grausman’s background.

You’ve done as much background research about the other judges as possible during a quick Google look.

You’ve decided on a top school, and you have at least one (preferably two) others that you believe would be a good fit for you.

You know how you’ll meet travel and living expenses during the school year.

You know your GPA is high enough to get you into the school or program you’d like to be in.

You’ve thought about what, exactly, is it about the culinary world that interests you, excites your imagination, and gives you joy in the doing.

You’re all set for the next step. This is the “DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT DOING THIS” list of interview tips. So here we go.

Don’t slump. You’ve had a busy morning and not enough sleep. Welcome to the professional world. Look as if you’re ready to take on that world with energy.

Don’t mumble. You’ll appear cranky – and no one likes a crank.

Don’t use extreme slang or swear. Really. It’s not f------- sophisticated at all and will not favorably impress your interviewers.

Don’t be a know-it-all. If you knew it all, you’d already have your doctorate and your own culinary enterprise. Or more.

Don’t even think about taking your cell phone into the interview room.

Don’t answer any question with “I don’t know.” If you must, say, “I haven’t been able to think through that, but I know it’s important. I’m still looking at options and hoping to find some guidance on this.”

Don’t answer any question with only “yes” or “no.” Explain and describe as much as possible.

Don’t lie. Be truthful, candid and to the point.

Don’t insist that you deserve any particular scholarship. You don’t know the particulars of everyone’s circumstances or qualifications.

Tomorrow: Last-minute interview aid.

Think before you interview!

Passion in the kitchen!

It’s not always easy to express in words those things that are the most important to us. It can be especially difficult when we’re anxious about the outcome of a critical interview.

Add to this the fact that some people are naturally more dispassionate and unreadable to others and that you may be tired from the morning’s competition and it’s no surprise you might appear to be less than enthusiastic .

Here are a few tips to help you put into words and actions why working in the culinary and hospitality field is so very vital to you.

You’re taking the first step, by preparing yourself and practicing.

When you finally get to your interview, you’ll be ready to stay in the present, convey a positive attitude – and sit up straight. (No kidding – it’s really important to physically demonstrate that you’re actively involved in this interview.)

Use gestures as you speak to underline the impact of your words.

Tell stories that inspire you and help to illustrate the point you want to make.

Smile as you speak and look directly at the people with whom you’re speaking. Sometimes just smiling helps you feel more energetic and positive. That will help convey the joy and excitement you feel about your work.

Keep the volume of your voice up, and vary the pace and pitch of your voice. This will keep you from falling into a monotone and remind you of the importance of what you’re saying.

Finally – practice some more. Here’s one more tip: if you are practicing your cooking techniques and plating, you can run through a practice interview aloud while you do that.

Tomorrow: How to be ready and relaxed at the same time.

Meet your interview judges

C-CAP Arizona scholarship interviews include several professionals. Each has a different kind of view, and will look for different things in your responses.

“Group interviews are just as serious as one-to-one interviews are,” says HR expert and culinary pro Almira Wagley.

“Each interviewer is going to have a different perspective on each candidate. Candidates need to remember to give each person in the interview equal weight and importance in responding to questions.”

This is rough on candidates, but also helps insure that each student is seen more completely as judges discuss the interviews and applications.

Here are the judges who will conduct this year’s interviews:

Richard Grausman

Richard Grausman is the founder and chairman of C-CAP. A native of North Carolina, his first degree is in economics. He studied with James Beard before enrolling at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. He became the school’s first official ambassador.

He’s considered one of this country’s foremost culinary experts and educators, with a sterling national reputation. His greatest goal for C-CAP students is to have each succeed in school and in their culinary careers. (Learn more about Richard and his career at www.ccapinc.org/grausman-bio.php.)

Susan Robbins

Named president of C-CAP just last year, Susan Robbins spent her life as an acknowledged and avowed "foodie." Her professional career began in education, focused on students with special needs. Most recently, she was part of the founding management team of CDT, a mission-driven real estate investment trust, where she also served as general counsel. You'll also find more information about Susan at www.ccapinc.org/Susan-Robbins-President.php.

Glenn Humphrey

Placement director of the Arizona Culinary Institute, Chef Glenn is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. A native of Connecticut, he’s also worked with the Scottsdale Culinary Institute, and was also food and beverage director for Marie Callender’s, among other professional culinary work.

He’s coached and judged culinary competitions across the country, and has been lead judge for C-CAP Arizona for more than a decade.

Sharon Levinson

Sharon Levinson is a professional non-profit organization manager and has worked with several groups and organizations. She’s been volunteering with C-CAP for more than 10 years, and is the person who helps keep everything running smoothly on the administrative and (actual) organization end.

Jill Smith

Jill is the C-CAP director for Arizona. Following a successful career in the high tech industry, she enrolled in culinary school and graduated from The Art Institute of Phoenix. Working with C-CAP allows her to take advantage of her skills in marketing and management, while capitalizing on her culinary understanding and expertise. She’s become tireless in her goals to help Arizona’s culinary educators provide an excellent foundation for their students’ success, and to help each C-CAP student reach both educational and professional success.

Outsmart your competition!

You know your recipes. You're practicing tournes with those pesky potatoes. You can whip together a silky crème patisserie in mere minutes, and you have that drip technique for your chocolate sauce perfected.

Now - are you ready for your close up? That interview following the demonstration of your kitchen skills can be the big key you need for a major scholarship. Here's how to prepare.

First, review your application one more time.

Your interviewers will have a copy of your application. If there is a blank, or an unclear answer, they may well have a question for you. They’ll also have a copy of your essay as they interview you.

If you’ve reviewed your application, you’ll know what to expect.

If you’ve reviewed your essay, you’ll remember what you wrote – and be able to think about why you wrote it.

Because the judges want to match your dreams with the dollars they have to award, expect to be asked if you’ve had a chance to consider more than one school.

You may be asked if you’ve toured specific schools, and you will definitely be asked if you’ve thought about how you will live while you’re in school.

If you’re thinking about Johnson and Wales, for instance, they may want to know how you plan to travel to school.

How will you live while you’re in school? Have you lived away from home before? Will you need a part-time job?

Do you have other financial resources? Do you need transportation? What about school supplies (not just your books)?

Your C-CAP interviewers want to know you’ve spent some time figuring out this next step in your culinary career.

Next time: how to do your best in this part of the competition.

Outscore your competition - a last minute series

This year's C-CAP competition is one of the toughest yet. By now, you should know best practices and techniques (how well you execute this is another matter!).

In any event, not only do you have to make it through another cooking demo, you're also about to face some of the toughest judging yet. And the first thing you need to know is this: if your grades are hovering under 3.5, you have some serious compensation to generate.

Don't panic! Stay tuned here, because your C-CAP Arizona blog is gonna spend this week bombarding you with skills AND interview assistance.

Almira Wagley, C-CAP volunteer, chef and human resources pro, has been presenting information and offering help across the state. Here are some of the basic things she suggests keeping in mind.

First, "It's okay to be nervous. In fact, you can mention it up front. And then, be quiet and listen. You need to hear and understand the judges' questions."

A good next step, she recommends, is going back to your C-CAP application, reviewing your answers and preparing to clarify any answer or ambiguity.

Rehearse answers with your parents, teacher, or friend. You can use a 1-2-3 listing to help you remember things.

Know your goals - not for your whole life, but for right now. (As in "I am most interested in attending BLANKBLANK school, because it will help me perfect my herbs and spices identification skills. Those are the skills I believe will help me gain the best entry position possible in the kitchens of the Jamaica-bound Black Pearl sailed by Captain Jack Sparrow.")

Coming next - meet your interview judges!

Final practice - first notes: from the lead judge and a former contestant

Work and school schedules kept more than half of this year's C-CAP finalists from this weekend's final practice session at Arizona Culinary Institute with lead judge Chef Glenn Humphrey.

Chef Glenn gave a rapid-fire demo of the required entrée, chicken chasseur, and took time to review tourneed potatoes.

"Move the potato, not the knife," he says, "and make sure you get 'em about the same size so they cook evenly and quickly. And don't wear gloves - you're gonna cook these, you don't need to be gloved. Save the gloves for when you're working with food ready to serve."

And about those gloves…"Get some blue ones," says C-CAP graduate Justin Richardson. "If you use blue gloves, you'll know right away if you've nicked one enough to leave even a tiny piece in the food."

Chef Glenn ran through a step-by-step guide to preparing chicken chasseur (see below!) before finalists began formal practice.

As a graduate, Justin offered a few thoughts as he observed finalists at work, drawing from his own C-CAP finals as well as his work experience in the kitchens at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak.

"People need to be prepared to eat, breathe, sleep this competition for the next week, because it's the little things that trip you up and cost you points," he says.

"First, figure out your weakest point, and get busy on it. I can see hat everyone here is off to a good start, but there's a real need to buckle down and be serious. Focus on the work."

• Keep your sauce supple, not over-reduced. When you over-reduce, it gets gummy.
• Make sure your pastry cream is - well, creamy. You should not be able to taste that you used flour to thicken it!
• Keep your pastry cream creamy by placing a piece of plastic directly on top of the cream! Otherwise, it will develop a yucky-tasting 'skin,' which, by the way, Mr. Grausmann really dislikes.
• Keep your chocolate sauce away from the pilot light - you could inadvertently scorch it and - no matter what you do to recover - your final dish will retain a faint scorched sense.
• Remember: it is a chocolate sauce. If you use it primarily as garnish, at least put a few squiggles or dots directly on the crepes. (People like to taste chocolate!)
• Take along extra product, especially extra chocolate, stock, glace. Carry extra towels and gloves. (You might not need them - but what if you knock over the pot of stock?)
• Practice working in a tight (two feet by three feet or so) space - that's all the room you'll have during the finals.
• Keep moving your used equipment out of the way. By the time you're ready to plate, you should have a nearly empty work space to use.
• Use the photos on the C-CAP web site to come up with a plan for presentation. You don't need to be overly creative - make it appealing and neat and step away from the plate!

Justin has one final bit of advice: "You need to focus. It can be $80,000. Think how much winning this scholarship could change your life. I know it's possible," he says.

"It changed mine."

A few more tips

Chef Francine Marz is a competitor.

She likes the intensity of a good competition - and she's good at it, too. More than that, she heads up the Art Institute's competition team, has served as the chair of the A.C.F. Chefs' Association of Arizona competition committee, and participates regularly in competitions herself.

That's to say, she's more than familiar with both the pain and the joy of competing. So when she doles out advice, it's coming from a veteran in action. Listen up!

General help in competition

· • Know the rules and make sure you’re observing them to the letter.

· • Know your recipes inside and out..

· • Develop a timeline that includes techniques for each step of each recipe. You can tape a timeline to the top of your tool kit or keep it in a pocket for reference.

· • Keep a clean working area..

· • Don’t leave anything stacked on the cutting board while you continue to cut another ingredient..

· • Have a waste bucket and a scrap can (so usable ingredients can be salvaged). (Remember, it's a judge's easiest question: "What are you planning to do with your scraps?" ANSWER: "Make stock!")

· • Clean up as you go and remember to maintain sanitation.

· • Be careful of cross-contamination.

· • Have enough gloves along with you.

· • Ditto on pots. Have an extra one or two on hand in case something burns or you need to redo a step quickly.

· • Don’t use glass containers for your mise en place – if they shatter, it’s a sanitation mess. • Don’t wait until the night before competition to sharpen your knives – you need to know how sharp they are so you can avoid accidental cuts.

· • During competition, stay busy every minute – or, at least, look as if you’re busy.

· • Know how to think on your feet, so that nothing throws you off course.

· • Taste, taste, taste! Know how each recipe is supposed to taste and get it as close as possible.

· • Get a good oven thermometer and make sure you use it.

· • Know your cooking temperatures as well as times!

· • Stir everything as it should be stirred.

· • Use enough ingredients to create a presentation plate, a tasting plate, and to resolve any mistakes or that may develop.

· • Leave the food alone while it cooks!

· • Don’t leave a plate to sit with half a presentation on it – plate everything at one time.

· • Remember when plating: hot food, hot plate; cold food, cold plate.

How to compete like a pro

There are only two more formal practice sessions left before the 2012 C-CAP Arizona culinary finals.

So, roughly, 15 days during which you will have ample opportunity to either practice some more or whip yourself into a frothy panic fueled by fear and increasing evidence that you need additional time to practice.

Let's focus on the first.

That's because this year's competition shows all indications of being extremely - uh, competitive. That is to say, skill levels among contestants are roughly par, with some having a critical academic advantage.

So, here's what we're gonna do this week - we're gonna go back in time, and give you a few more keys.

These particular keys are from Chef Francine Marz. Chef Marz, a major competition veteran now with The Art Institute of Phoenix, provided a major guide to improved competition performance.

Today - a focus on food and plating.

In this contest, the chicken comes before the egg

Supreme poulet chasseur avec pommes chateau (Hunter’s chicken with turned, sauteed potatoes)

· Make sure your chicken breast is about the right size for a serving. If it’s too large, cut it.

· Stock needs to be perfectly clear, with a good taste.

· To help sweeten the stock, add more onion.

· Be careful with the glace. Even a small burned bit in your saucepan will give it a bitter,

· burned taste. (Butter will help take care of lingering bitterness.)

· Don’t leave tomatoes or potatoes sitting in an ice bath.

· Remember to season the potatoes.

· Let the potatoes get just a little color in the saute pan.

· Be careful how you slice the chicken for plating your chicken; don’t fan it out too much (it will cool too quickly).

· Have some sauce under the chicken and some sauce or garnish on top.

· Create a presentation with a delicate look to it; if you use a parsley or herb garnish, mince finely and don’t let it clump. Also, it belongs on the food, not the plate.

How to make, fill and fold a crepe

· Timing, timing, timing. If you make your pastry cream first, drop a sheet of plastic wrap right on top and keep it in an ice bath at your station.

· Make sure your eggs aren’t curdling; keep stirring!

· Keep your pastry cream smooth and as light (thin) as possible.

· Keep your crepes as thin as possible.

· Make sure your crepes are the right color.

· Practice folding your crepes.

· Play with the presentation before you get to competition, to give yourself a plan and options in plating.

· Be careful about your chocolate sauce, and how you pipe it onto the crepes and plate.

· Chocolate piping doesn’t need to be too glitzy!

· Finally – don’t forget to taste! The pastry cream should taste sweet enough, with a whisper of vanilla.

NEXT up:

Chef Marz had plenty more to say about competitions. You'll flip your tocque over her suggestions for getting your game together so that it's really on.

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!