New York, February, 2003 - Michael Zebrowski, alumnus of The FCI ('98) and Banquet Pastry Chef at The Pierre Hotel, NY, has just won six days in Rome for two from Sorrento Lactalis, makers of Sorrento cheeses. His recipe for Mascarpone & Expresso Mousse Cake with Almond Butter Nougatine was the grand prize winner in Sorrento's "Masters of Mascarpone" contest.

Last year, Chef Michael won an all-expenses paid trip to the Napa Valley in the "Creative Cooking with Citrus" contest sponsored by Sunkist. What is his secret of turning flour, sugar, and specified ingredients into airline tickets and hotel accommodations?

"I think that the primary secret is just to enter," he explained. "A lot of chefs receive culinary publications, see the contest, flip the page, and just forget about it. How are you going to win anything if you don't even enter?"

Over 80 culinary professionals and students from across the country entered the Sorrento contest, designed to highlight mascarpone in recipes beyond the typical tiramisu. Further pressed for his strategy, Chef Michael added, "I try to think in terms of a crowd-pleasing dessert. I try not to get too trendy, and instead make something that will appeal to a wider audience. That increases your chances of winning. No matter what you do, people still like apple tart with vanilla ice cream... what I mean by that is that in New York, chefs tend to do herbal infusions and the like. I like herbal infusions myself, but when you enter a contest, it pays to keep it more centered."

Chef Michael's recipe features favored Italian "last course" ingredients. "Michael's accomplishment demonstrates the power of The FCI's classical approach," stated Chef Stephen Eglinski, Pastry Chef-Coordinator, "With strong classical training, it's so much easier for chefs to work in a subtle fashion, creating, for instance, a dessert that is somewhat sophisticated, yet highly accessible."

Quick and thorough classical Pastry Arts and Culinary Arts training is the hallmark of The French Culinary Institute. Located in the heart of NYC's culinary scene, The FCI was founded in 1984. At this prestigious school, students learn the 250 basic competencies that form the building blocks of all Western cuisine. Founded on the principle of Total Immersion^SM training, The FCI creates excellent Culinary and Pastry chefs in six months by day, nine months by night. In addition to The FCI's career programs for training Culinary and Pastry chefs, it also offers a unique, six-week program of Essentials of Artisanal Bread Baking; culinary, baking, pastry and wine courses for serious amateurs, and Culinary Business courses, supporting success in wine merchandising and restaurateuring. The FCI Culinary Solutions offers custom training, consulting and events. L'Ecole, the highly rated on-campus restaurant, is open to the public and affords culinary students real-life restaurant experience. The FCI's renowned International Culinary Theater hosts more than 100 celebrity-chef demonstrations each year and was selected as the setting for The New York Times' on-line cooking class and a variety of televised cooking shows. Both L'Ecole and the International Culinary Theater are available for corporate events.