Culinary coup

Mike Sciacca

A dash of kitchen know-how, peppered with poise and composure, helped

Alyse Goodwin rise toward the top of the Art Institute of

California’s Best Teen Chef 2004 Scholarship Cook Off Saturday.

Among 10 regional semifinalists -- all of high school age -- who

took over the kitchens at the institute’s Orange County campus in

Santa Ana, the Marina High School senior finished second in the 2

1/2-hour competition.

Bryan Maroun of Palmdale edged out Goodwin for the $5,000 top

scholarship prize.

“Although, naturally, I was aiming for first place, it felt great

to place at all,” said the 18-year-old, who won a $3,000 scholarship

for her runner-up finish. “I was very proud of who won, though. He’s

very sweet and I don’t disapprove of the judge’s selection.”

Goodwin had already been accepted to study at the institute before

the competition.

She will be training alongside Maroun this summer with the

professional chefs on faculty at the institute.

“We invited Alyse to train with Bryan because she had quite a

sense of flow in the kitchen,” said Chris Lauderdale, a professional

chef and faculty instructor at the institute. “She and Bryan really

moved about the kitchen like they’ve been doing it for such a long

time.

“I thought the level of enthusiasm and focus was the best I’ve

seen in this high school competition. The competition was really

close.”

Each semifinalist had to prepare a menu issued in advance by the

institution. A panel of professional judges that included Lauderdale

reviewed the prepared food and selected the first-, second- and

third-place winners.

The regional winner advances to the national competition on May

22.

The contest consisted of 30 minutes of demonstrating knife skills

with various ingredients, 90 minutes of cooking time and 15 minutes

of cleanup time.

Contestants had to prepare shrimp cocktail, sauteed breast of

Chicken Chasseur, fresh broccoli and rice pilaf.

“Alyse’s plate presentation for shrimp cocktail was beautiful,”

Lauderdale said. “We judges got a sense of her artistic eye.”

Judging took place in 10 categories, ranging from sanitation and

safety, to portion size and presentation.

“The competition really was neck-and-neck,” Lauderdale said. “We

just didn’t look at the finished product, but we looked at how the

plates captured all five of the senses and the process in which it

took the contestants to get to the finished plate.”

Out of a possible 300 points awarded, Maroun won the cook-off with

235 and Goodwin was a “close second,” with 225 points, Lauderdale

said.

The event was open to the public and guests of the regional

semifinalists were able to view the cook-off through the kitchens’

viewing windows.

“The time leading up to the actual event, I wasn’t even nervous,

at all,” Goodwin said. “But once the day came, I had a pit in my

stomach. But, I’m so comfortable around the kitchen that once the

competition began, I felt at ease.”

Goodwin should have been at ease -- she’s been around her family

kitchen her entire life, enjoying the cooking of her mother,

Rufina’s, Mexican heritage, “morning, noon and night,” she said, and

watching her father, Ron, work his magic in the kitchen.

“My dad loves gourmet cooking and he’s very good in the kitchen,”

Goodwin said. “He’d have me do a cooking chore now and then, and I

just watched him and picked things up from him. Pretty much most of

what I know in the kitchen comes from him.

“I grew up very cultured when it comes to food and dinner is

basically my chore. But I love doing it. Most of my friends often ask

me, ‘what’s for dinner?’”

Goodwin says she has been cooking on her own since age 12.

She watches the Food Network “religiously,” has tried everything

when it comes to food, and likes everything, well, except for “liver

and onions,” and says her favorite dish to cook is steak stuffed with

bleu cheese.

After completing her studies at the Art Institute of

California-Orange County, Goodwin said she’d like to obtain her

master’s degree in business from USC.

“My family wants to open up two restaurants and by my completing

my schooling, I can become executive chef at their restaurants,” she

said.

“I was thrilled to be accepted to the Art Institute. I just wanted

to do this competition to see where I could take it, and I’m happy

with how I did.”

Her advice to any novice in the kitchen is simple.

“Basically, follow the recipe and don’t get too fancy,” she said.

“Don’t think you’re Emeril Lagasse right off the bat. With time in

the kitchen comes experience and then, you can modify things to make

it your own dish with your own style.”

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at

(714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.