Teen chef aces regional competition

The high school student plans to open her own Italian pastry cafe some day.
PITTSBURGH -- Christina Meyer, a senior at Boardman High School, took first place in the recent Art Institute of Pittsburgh regional scholarship competition.
Christina, daughter of Mark and MaryAnn Meyer, will travel to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on April 29 to compete against high school seniors from across the United States and Canada in the National Best Teen Chef competition for a $30,000 scholarship.
She began training for the national event with Art Institute of Pittsburgh's chefs Norman Hart and Odette Smith Ransome immediately after winning the regional title. She will be required to prepare specific recipes during the competition.
The Best Teen Chef program began in 2000 with the goal to encourage and recognize young culinary talent.
Hart praised Christina's performance in the regional competition.
"Culinary competition is tough and there is a great deal of pressure. We will work diligently with Christine so that she is well-prepared to perform in the national competition," he said.
Christina said her mother is a traditional Italian cook who shares the family recipes and her own epicurean secrets with her daughter.
"When my mom isn't around, I do the cooking," Christina said. "My brother, Joey, always asks for my chicken parmigiano."
The Meyer family has many traditions in the kitchen, including the preparation of various homemade pastas at every holiday meal.
One of Christina's favorites is Easter pasteria, a plain dough cookie wrapped around a hard-boiled egg.
"Lots of our friends have never even heard of some of the things we make, but they know they like them," she said.
Christina intends to enroll at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh's culinary program this year and hopes eventually to own her own Italian pastry cafe, perhaps in Cleveland, where she has family.