Best Teen Chef 2008 Local Finalists - Phoenix
Joaquin Gaytan
Mesa High School and East Valley Institute of Technology, Mesa, Arizona
The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Phoenix’s Best Teen Chef 2008
Cooking has been a love of Joaquin Gaytan since an early age. The Best Teen Chef 2008 for The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Phoenix began pitching in and helping his mother prepare the family’s daily meals when he was just eight years old. His mother first taught Joaquin to cook authentic traditional dishes from her hometown of Mexico City.
As Joaquin grew up he realized his passion for cooking was more than just a hobby. He began taking classes at The East Valley Institute of Technology, which offers culinary classes as part of the high school curriculum. As his skills grew, he became more confident in the kitchen and took a part time job at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theater. There he learned to be quick on his feet and roll with the fast paced environment. “When a pan of food gets dropped or the reservation turns out to be a much larger group, you have to keep going and service the customer the best you can.” Joaquin knows he is learning and growing from his experiences at school and his job, “I love the rush I get from line work in the kitchen and I am learning how professional chefs seamlessly deal with complications in the kitchen.”
When he is not at school or at work, Joaquin is just an ordinary teenage boy, texting his friends and playing video games. But he is extremely excited about his achievements in the Best Teen Chef Competition so far and for what his future might hold, “With a degree in the Culinary Arts from The Art Institute of Phoenix, I hope to work in a professional kitchen and save up enough money to one day open my own restaurant.”
His family and friends have been very supportive about his accomplishments, “My family hasn’t stopped congratulating me since I won the local competition. My friends are really supportive and are looking forward to seeing me on TV.” And what is his favorite dish to cook? Joaquin says, “I am always experimenting and I love to explore the possibilities of everything I can get my hands on. Right now, I love making pasta dishes my whole family can enjoy!”