Seventeen-year-old Jamey Brazier buses tables at O'Charley's in Cumming but the food gods likely have bigger things in mind. After all, the newly minted graduate of South Forsyth High School can whip up a mean sautéed chicken breast stuffed with leeks and fennel sausage and rosemary cheese polenta with a wild field mushroom sauce. Don't take our word for it. After coming in first place in a state cooking competition, Brazier and four of his fellow chefs from the culinary program at South Forsyth came in a very impressive third last month in the 13th Annual ProStart Invitational national teen cooking competition in Minnesota. Brazier chatted about his love of cooking — and his family's love of eating his cooking.
Q: What drew you to cooking?
A: When I was young, I used to watch cooking shows like Bobby Flay. Then I watched “Chopped” and all the cooking competition shows. I said, that is what I want to do.
Q: How young were you?
A: Six.
Q: Did you ever think about competing on one of those shows?
A: I’d love to compete. I even applied for the teen “Chopped” competition but I never heard anything back.
Q: Is either of your parents a cook?
A: My dad used to cook in a restaurant, and both my parents have always cooked at home.
Q: Does your family make you cook for them?
A: They don’t make me but sometimes I do. My little brother expects it.
Q: What is your specialty?
A: I love working with meats. Having protein on the plate comes out nice for me. I even like taking the meats apart. It is cool.
Q: So you are not a vegetarian?
A: No ma’am.
Q: Your high school has a culinary program?
A: They have for a while. I’ve done it since sophomore year. There is a class. If you want to pursue something more, there is a club, too.
Q: How do other students, jocks, in particular, look on those of you in the culinary program?
A: I don’t really think they look at us any differently than anyone else. I played football in eighth grade and I’m still friends with some of the guys.
Q: Was this the first time your school did so well in the national competition?
A: All in all, we’ve been to nationals three times. In 2011, the team came in third. In 2012, my first time competing, we did not place, but we were state champions. My mentor, Derin Moore, a certified master chef, has helped me and the team grow unbelievably in our culinary journey and he’s a big part of my life.
Q: What does the national competition entail?
A: We had an hour to create a three-course meal — an appetizer, entrée and dessert. We are judged on cooking techniques, how we work as a team, our sanitation and our ability to communicate in a stressful environment.
Q: And taste, right?
A: Yes. Taste is one of the largest portions of the scoring.
Q: Did they tell you what to make or did you come up with own menu?
A: Our own — the appetizer was a poached flounder rolled in a smoked salmon with a celery root puree and a tomato vinaigrette. I did the entrée — the sautéed chicken breast filled with cream of leeks, a braised stuff cabbage ball and a carrot viche'. Dessert was a vanilla cheese Bavarian, strawberry-rhubarb gelée with a spiced apple broth.
Q: Do you like your own cooking?
A:I love to eat my own cooking. Knowing that I made something delicious is one of the best feelings ever.
Q: So what are you going to do now?
A: I am going to attend Le Cordon Bleu in Tucker.
Q: What is your dream job?
A: To own my own restaurant.
Q: What kind of food would you serve?
A: I am not 100 percent sure. I am really leaning toward something Mediterranean, maybe Greek, and contemporary.
Q: That sounds great. So hopefully you are going to stick around here for a while?
A: I want to stay in the area for now. I may want to take a road trip, maybe to New Orleans or California to get some new ideas.
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