Way to Go Amol Thanky

This past Saturday, Amol Thanky of the Texas Culinary Academy won the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas‘ 8th annual Stephan Pyles Scholarship Cook-Off.  After two days of Iron Chef-style competition, Thanky took home $15,000, thank you really though.

Ingredients in the mystery basket included quail, acorn squash, and Texas goat cheese (yum). Besides the cash, Thanky also gets to hang with Chef Pyles in California this fall at a celebrity fundraiser, as well as assisting him at his annual Stephan Pyles Celebrity Chef dinner. Thanky is also invited to come cook at my house anytime. (Insert golf claps here).

Texas Culinary Academy Student Sweeps $15,000
Stephan Pyles Scholarship Cook-off

Houston, Texas - March 3, 2008 - The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas
is proud to announce its Eighth Annual Stephan Pyles Culinary
Scholarship Cookoff winner, Amol Thanky of the Texas Culinary Academy
who beat out two other student chefs in a statewide Iron Chef style
cook-off yesterday at the Art Institute of Houston. The competition
was sponsored by Central Market.

Three student chefs battled Saturday and Sunday in Houston to present
a three-course meal using a pre-determined “basket” of mostly Texas
ingredients, including challenging foods such as quail, acorn squash,
and Texas goat cheese.

Traditionally held in Austin, the contest is now rotated between four
Texas cities; Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. This year the
Foundation selected Houston as a competition destination for the first
time. The Art Institute of Houston enjoys a reputation as a top-rate
culinary school, utilizing international techniques taught by industry
professionals. Chef Andrea Alexander from the Art Institute presided
as host.

The 2008 Stephan Pyles Culinary Scholarship winner Amol Thanky, is
from Texas Culinary Academy in Austin www.tca.edu. After years of
working in careers as diverse as boat rental management, to carpentry
and briefly attending the University of Texas at Arlington to pursue a
Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Finance, he finally decided to pursue his
lifelong passion of cooking. Upon graduation, he plans on continuing
his education to finally reach the coveted title of Master Chef.

“Hard work and determination got me through the competition,” Amol
said. “And the staff at Texas Culinary Academy was also tremendously
supportive. I learned a great deal from going through this process -
about cooking, creating a menu, and also about myself.”

Now in its eighth year, the Stephan Pyles Culinary Scholarship
Cook-off is one of the largest culinary scholarships in the country
and considered one of the most rigorous.  Open to culinary students
throughout the state, it is named for renowned Texas chef and author
Stephan Pyles www.stephanpyles.com, a pioneer of Southwestern Cuisine
and named ‘Chef of the Year’ by Esquire magazine in 2006. Chef Pyles
is also a long-time Advisory Member of The Wine & Food Foundation of
Texas.

“We want to support and develop the future of Texas cuisine,” stated
Chef Pyles. “I’m proud to be a part of this competition because it is
an accurate reflection of what the workplace demands. It requires
creativity, skill, knowledge of food and flavors and ultimately, makes
students better chefs just for having gone through the process.”

Quincy Adams Erickson, Scholarship Chair and Foundation Board Member,
was responsible for coordinating the competition.  Erickson is a
Paris-trained Le Cordon Bleu Chef and Owner of Fête Accompli, a
catering company specializing in fresh, hand-made food for events of
all sizes www.feteaustin.com. The Foundation’s Scholarship and Awards
Committee sets and monitors the rules governing the competition. Each
of the three levels of the competition are judged blindly and neither
judges, nor contestants are revealed under after the contest.

Pat Sharpe, Executive Editor for Texas Monthly lead the judges’ panel.
Other 2008 judges included Chef Stephan Pyles (Dallas), Chef Hugo
Ortega from Hugo’s in Houston, and David Kiser, Chef and Cooking
School Manager for Central Market in Houston.

The three-course championship menu included roasted quail and spinach
salad, spicy grilled sirloin and a cayenne chocolate mousse. Full
menus can be found on the Foundation website,
www.winefoodfoundation.org. The two other finalists in the competition
were Amanda Luchtel from the Art Institute of Dallas and Juanita
Barrientos, also from the Texas Culinary Academy.

As winner, Amol will receive a $15,000 check to help cover tuition.
In addition, he will be given the opportunity to travel with Chef
Pyles to a celebrity fundraiser in California this fall. Amol will
also assist Chef Pyles with the Foundation’s Stephan Pyles Celebrity
Chef Dinner at Pyles’ flagship restaurant, aptly named Stephan Pyles,
in Dallas this fall. Funds raised from this star-studded dinner
support the scholarship each year.  Amanda Luchtel and Juanita
Barrientos will each receive $1,000.00 scholarships.

Previous winners of the Stephan Pyles Scholarship include Jesus Lugo
of El Paso, Christina Van Zandt, Natalie Guerrero and Jodie Liwanag
all of Houston, Susan Harkness and Carolyn Bream of Austin and Tagan
Gann-Counch from Dallas last year.

The competition was fully sponsored by Central Market. Donations were
also provided by Aqua Panna and San Pellegrino waters and the Art
Institute of Houston.

The 2009 Stephan Pyles Scholarship applications can be found on the
Foundation’s website in November of 2008. Applications will be
accepted at that time until mid-January.