Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2006

Contact: Marisa Ramirez
713.743.8152 (office)
713.204.9798 (cell)
mrcannon@uh.edu

HOUSTON, March 6, 2005—If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen, as they say. And when the Annual Young Chefs Competition comes to the University of Houston’s Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, the kitchen is going to get hot. Fourteen young professional chefs from across Texas, including a UH student chef, will face off against each other and the clock as they prepare a gourmet meal for four Saturday, March 11, at the UH-Hilton.

“I enjoy competition and am eager to test my skills against the best young chefs in our area,” Justin Yu, a junior in the hotel and restaurant management program, said. Yu will be representing UH as a student chef. “I’m very excited to be chosen. We have a lot of talent here and I hope I make them proud.”

The competition begins at 8:30 a.m. in the college kitchens. The Young Chefs Competition is sponsored by the Southwest Region of the Chaine des Rottisseurs, a non-profit organization that promotes the culinary arts and industry through education. The group has presented the Young Chefs Competition in the United States since 1990.

“This is an excellent opportunity to showcase our college, its programs and our students for industry experts from around our region,” Doan Schockley, instructor at the college, said. “We are proud of the strong relationship with have with Chaine des Rottisseurs.

The competition pits chef against chef in a race toward dinner time. Tension and excitement mount as participants are given a “mystery basket” of food items from which they will create a three-course meal for four people. The blanching, sautéing and broiling begins immediately as they will have just four hours to craft, prepare and present the entire meal. Young chefs from Colorado, Oklahoma and across Texas will be competing.

“I think my chances are pretty good,” Yu said. “I have great food knowledge, understanding of flavor and texture combinations and I’m not afraid to try out new things. I think I have sound cooking techniques, plating skills and, hopefully, great ideas.” Yu transferred to UH College of Hotel and Restaurant Management from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America because he felt UH could give him a better foundation in business, education and work experience. He hopes to one day become a successful chef and restaurateur with multiple concept restaurants and fine dining establishments.

The mystery basket can be quite intimidating to those not in the culinary know. Items such as ostrich tenderloin, fresh salsify and sweetbreads can be included and test the muster of each young chef. The result can either be a culinary masterpiece or a gastronomic failure. A team of seven judges will rate each chef’s work on taste and
presentation. The chefs will also be rated on kitchen cleanliness and work habits. The winner will receive a silver medal and a chance to compete against winners of the nine other regions in the United States. The winner of that competition will compete against other young chefs from around the world.

“There are a lot of great restaurant cities in America and Houston is one of them, though it’s not normally recognized as one,” Yu said. “I hope that whoever wins can show the world that Houston is a city of talented, passionate, creative cooks who can compare with any in America.”

The Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management was established in 1969 to meet the demand for professional training in the increasingly complex hospitality industry. The curriculum is designed to prepare students for changing business conditions and to present both theoretical and practical approaches to the diverse needs of the hospitality industry.

This is the sixth year that UH has hosted this event for the Southwest Region of the Chaines des Rottisseurs.
For more information about the UH Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, please visit www.hrm.uh.edu/.

About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and service with more than 35,000 students.

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.