AUSTIN, TEXAS (PRWEB) MARCH 30, 2016
The Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts located at 6020-B Dillard Circle is excited to welcome hundreds of high school students from across Texas including Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and surrounding areas to the school’s 3rd Annual High School Open House and Mystery Basket Competition on Friday, April 1st from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Students will tour the school’s classrooms, commercial kitchens, and onsite 6,000 square foot Urban Agricultural Learning Center as they receive tips on how to pursue their passion in culinary and pastry arts and learn about the school’s Farm To Table® Experience; the first registered Farm To Table® educational curriculum in the nation.
Forty-eight teams made up of 192 students will compete in the 3rd Annual Mystery Basket Challenge for a chance to win more than $20,000 in scholarships as well as prizes from Mercer Culinary. Beef from The Texas Beef Council will be one of the main ingredients used in the competition along with fresh items from the school’s Farm To Table® partners such as Bernhardt’s Fruits and Veggie Farm, Yegua Creek Farms, Skinny Lane Farms, Coyote Creek Farm and Heart of Gold Aquaponics Farm.
Austin food professionals Chef Nathan Lemley from Parkside Projects, Chef Sam Hellman-Mass from Odd Duck, Russell Woodward, Senior Manager of Product Marketing for the Texas Beef Council and Lillian Sonnenberg, Programs Coordinator from The Austin Food and Wine Alliance along with school chef instructors will judge teams on Sanitation and Safety, Teamwork, Timing, Technique, Product Appearance/Plate Presentation, Taste, and Creativity.
“Every year the competition gets more heated. The students’ creative dishes made from the mystery basket ingredients are impressive. We thank the teachers, judges and our team for making this a wonderful day of learning for the students and an opportunity to award them with scholarships towards their future,” said Marcus McMellon, Campus President of the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts.
Live chef demonstrations such as a Farmer’s Market Discussion, Making Gum Paste Flowers and Meat Fabrication will take place throughout the day creating an interactive learning environment.
Scholarships totaling more than $800,000 were awarded to high school students by the Austin and Boulder campuses of the Auguste Escoffier Schools of Culinary Arts in 2015.
To learn more about the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, visit Escoffier.edu, call 833-443-0618 or follow us on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/escoffierschool.
About the Auguste Escoffier Schools of Culinary Arts
The Auguste Escoffier Schools of Culinary Arts offer professional culinary arts programs based on the methods, principles and systems of Auguste Escoffier, the international culinary icon and the source of modern cooking. Students have the opportunity to learn history and context directly from the Escoffier family, and expert chef instructors.
The schools’ Culinary Arts and Pastry Arts certificate programs offer rigorous industry skills training, the Farm To Table ® Experience as well as grounding in the standards of professionalism and excellence sought by employers. Campuses are located in Austin, Texas and Boulder. https://www.escoffier.edu
In addition to ground campuses, the Escoffier Online Culinary Academy is a certificate program which is part of the Austin campus. It is the first-ever 100% online culinary school, offering professional culinary training for serious career-seeking students throughout the country. Modeled after the most prestigious culinary institutes in the world and inspired by the world-renowned Escoffier name, Escoffier Online offers a comprehensive curriculum of cooking techniques and fundamentals. https://www.escoffieronline.com
Media Contact:
Laura Nepveux, Patrick Henry Creative Promotions, Inc.
713-594-6404, laura(at)phcp.com
School Contact:
Marcus McMellon, Campus President, Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts
512-451-5743, mmcmellon(at)escoffier.edu
