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There were only 10 finalists, not 20. Seth will be flying back from Denver today.


Students find recipes for success


RICKY MOON/Special Contributor
Seth Brammer (left) and Erasmo Casiano, both seniors at South Grand Prairie High, have each earned scholarships to Johnson & Wales University for their culinary creations.
SGP seniors' dishes earn high marks in culinary competition

05:01 PM CST on Saturday, February 12, 2005

By JENNIFER AREND / The Dallas Morning News

Seth Brammer and Erasmo Casiano spend hours in their kitchens, a small fortune at specialty groceries such as Central Market and their free time daydreaming about the restaurants they plan to open one day.


Until recently, only their family, friends and their teacher knew that the two South Grand Prairie High seniors had culinary talent. But last month, they both received kudos for their original creations in a national contest sponsored by Johnson & Wales University.

Seth's dish of sweet potato- and basil-crusted flounder paired with lemon-cucumber couscous and peppered asparagus rose to the top when he was named one of 20 finalists in the university's 16th annual National High School Recipe Contest. More than 500 entries were received for the contest nationwide.

As a finalist, Seth left Friday for the university's Denver campus to compete for a full scholarship. At the very least, his finalist status has already earned him a $3,500-a-year scholarship to Johnson & Wales.

The finals will be filmed and aired on the Food Network, said Meredith Moore, a spokeswoman for Johnson & Wales. No airing date has been announced.

Erasmo's creation – herb lemon and garlic swordfish with a sesame pear salsa, spaghetti squash with peppers and sweet, flour tortilla chips – didn't do so bad either. The dish was named best in the state, and Erasmo won a $1,000-a-year scholarship to Johnson & Wales as a result. Both Seth and Erasmo, who are close friends, plan to attend the university's Providence, R.I., campus in the fall.

"The annual contest is one of the highlights of the year," said Karl Guggenmos, dean of the school's highly regarded College of Culinary Arts. "Year after year, the dishes presented to the judges exceed everyone's expectations. ... The level of creativity and skill is amazing."

Contestants were asked to follow the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association nutrition guidelines when planning their menu entries, which could have been either a healthful dinner for four or a healthful dessert. Finalists' recipes were judged on the basis of taste, cost effectiveness, ease of preparation, presentation and appearance, nutritional value, originality, calorie content and creativity.

Karen Harris, the culinary arts teacher at South Grand Prairie, said Seth and Erasmo are both self-motivated and talented.

"You not only have to have the interest, but you have to have a fighting spirit to get your way to the top in this business," Ms. Harris said. "Seth and Erasmo have it."

Seth and Erasmo, who are both 17, said their love of cooking started at an early age.

Their mothers would use whatever they had in the house to cook creative dishes – primarily without recipes – and expose their sons to a variety of tastes and textures.

"I've been cooking without recipes my whole life," Seth said. "I'm late to learning measurement."

Ever since he was a young boy, Seth asked for pans for Christmas, his mother Jill Brammer said.

Erasmo recalled watching well-known chef Emeril Lagasse – who is a Johnson & Wales alumnus – on television when he was in sixth grade.

"I just thought, 'That's cool,' and I wanted to try doing all that stuff," he said.

Erasmo also prefers experimentation to following recipes.

"Recipes are just a base. They're like the canvas, and you're like an artist," he said.

Which is not to say that he's not a perfectionist when it comes to getting a dish to taste just right.

"I made tortilla soup four times until my mom liked it," Erasmo said.

Ms. Brammer said she's often the taste-tester for Seth's creations.

"It's fun having him around the house. I just let him take over," she said with a laugh. "Nobody could ask for a better kid."

The process of coming up with an original and healthful recipe for the contest wasn't easy, the students said.

Seth considered several types of fish before settling on flounder.

"I think what won it was the couscous," Seth said. The rules state that everything in the recipe must be made from scratch – and that included making the pasta.

After several failed attempts in his kitchen, Seth decided to seek help. He found it in a local restaurant where they made fresh couscous. After watching the chefs there, "it's easy now," he said.

Erasmo had different problems with his recipe. He knew he wanted to create an exotic salsa involving Asian pears to accompany his fish, and he figured the fruit would mix well with the sweetness of balsamic vinegar.

Whether it did or not didn't matter. The brown liquid made the salsa an unappetizing color.

"It was ugly," Seth said. Erasmo substituted white wine vinegar for the balsamic.

"People taste with their eyes," Erasmo said.

The students spent hours plating their creations and making sure they were picture perfect. For the first round of the contest, students were judged on their written recipe and a photo of the finished dish.

Erasmo said having his recipe honored has helped his self-esteem.

"Usually I'm not confident with stuff I do," he said, Seth nodding in agreement. "But I've never won anything I've wanted to win before. When I get in the kitchen, I feel like I'm a master."