Teen Chefs Whisk Their Way Toward Scholarships

NEW YORK (AP) — Competitors on "Top Chef" and "The Next Food Network Star" battle for fame and prizes.

The stakes are just as high for 19 New York City high school students in a cooking challenge Tuesday. The winners will earn scholarships to culinary schools.

Careers Through Culinary Arts Program started the contest in 1990 in New York. It's expanded to seven locations including Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Tuesday's competition started with a frenzy of potato peeling and batter whisking. They're given two hours to prepare a classic French chicken dish and dessert crepes. The judges include graduates of the program who've gone on to restaurant careers.

Winners will be named later this month.

Sadly, one contestant was missing Tuesday. He was killed by a subway train last month.

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