Teams from Lehman and Travis Duke it Out: Gazpacho vs. Heirloom Tomato Soup

I got a chance to visit with some of Austin’s future chefs Thursday night as teams from Lehman and Travis high schools dueled to see who could make the best soup.

Coached by Austin mega chefs David Bull and Josh Watkins, the kids prepped, chopped, and blended and came up with an excellent gazpacho as well as an heirloom tomato soup.

The event, at the rec center on Exposition drew over 600 people who were there in support for Communities in Schools, a program dedicated to dropout prevention. Also lending their support were more than 20 local restaurants who provided tasting stations.

It was fun. As the kids and their coaches worked, I got to do my best Alton Brown imitation as I collected sound bytes from each of the contestants regarding their respective roles in the making if each soup.

Who won? They all did. Had to be a tie.And a fun night was had by all. If you have a child of high school age who may be interested in the culinary arts, there are special programs not only at Lehman and Travis but also Bowie and Austin high schools.