by Heidi Lee, January 2010

For this month’s “Whose Cookin’ Now,” we are interviewing two women who may just be the busiest people in town. They are student culinarians Julie Fiedler and Katelyn Remick. On one hand they are typical students trying to get through classes, get their homework done and work their way through school. On the other, they are top competitors flying off to Seattle, New York, China and  New Mexico to attend culinary competitions. Catching up with them was difficult, but we finally got them both on the phone.

 

ITS: You two are a bit busy these days:

K&J: Yeah, it’s crazy with work, school and competitions.

ITS: So let’s start off with the obvious, Iron Chef America. You guys are the first students to compete on the show. Did you feel a lot of pressure?

K&J: Our team from the Art Institute of Phoenix was invited and there were three of us including Tyler Burke. It was on television in the fall, but we filmed in July.

J: The show is all a blur to me. I know I was excited but then I slipped right into competition mode. The day of the announcement was pretty amazing. We were told months before to cancel our summer vacations but weren’t told why. Then they called the whole school together and announced it in front of everyone. I was mostly nervous because of all the chefs that would be watching.

K: During the filming, I didn’t feel the pressure as much as I did the day before. You would think it would be tough with all the cameras in our faces, but we held it together pretty well. We’ve competed with Certified Master Chefs looking over our shoulders, that’s nerve racking.

ITS: You just got back from a competition in Shanghai, China as well.  Rumor has it you did really well.

K&J: Yeah, we won 8 out of 34 awards competing in the FHC International Culinary Competitions, the oldest and largest culinary competition in China.

ITS: Do you get a chance to tour around when you go to these places?

K&J: In Shanghai we did go site seeing and do a little shopping and stuff. It was awesome. In New York we got a few days off, too. Of course, we always find a way to eat at the local restaurants. 

 

ITS: So what got you interested in cooking?

K: For me, it was visiting my Grandma Joy. Whenever I would go visit her, there is always something going on in the kitchen. Plus, she owns a diner in Libby, Montana. She doesn’t run it anymore, but she used to, and my mom even worked there. It had a small eating area but mostly was drive through.

J: My parents both worked so sometimes it was kind of fend for yourself. I learned to cook basics, and it made me curious. Even as a kid, I would watch Julia Child on television. Both of my grandmothers were good cooks too, and I am half Greek and half German, so there was always food around.

ITS: Are there any local chefs that particularly inspired you?

J: I went to EVIT (East Valley Technical Institute), and my senior year Chef Mike Turcotte helped me train for C-CAP to get a scholarship. He was the best and I owe him a lot. And, of course, Chef (Eric) Watson at the Art Institute.

K: Chef Watson, definitely. He is our competition coach. At first, he was very intimidating, and he pushed us to our limits and sometimes beyond. He challenged us all the time, but every day we would come back stronger for it.

ITS:  So you work as a team, are you close?

K&J: When you are together every week you become like family. We don’t see as much of either as we used to now that we are kind of doing our own thing, but we are always talking (phone, texting, Facebook).

ITS: Do you have specific roles on the team when you are competing?

K&J: Not really. Our personalities are different. Katie is the planner and Julie is the “in the moment” person. When the competition starts, we have each other’s backs. Like with the cookies in Seattle and the apricots on Iron Chef.

K:  When I messed up cookies in Seattle, Julie fixed them. When Julie had a problem with apricots on Iron Chef, I helped her.

J: Yeah, I overcooked the poached apricots and didn’t think I would have time to do them again. Then I turned around and there they were. It was like the apricots just magically appeared.

ITS: So where do you want to go with all of this

K: I want to pay off my student loans in two years and then go to London to work and travel.

J: I want to travel too, maybe Italy or Europe in general, but I am happy to play it as it comes.