April Beané won second place in the Annual Florida Tomato Committee's Best of the Best Recipe Contest. For her winning entry, "Fiesta Shrimp and Tomato Gazpacho with Mango-Tomatillo Salsa," April received a $1000 cash prize and national publicity.

This is the 16th year that the Florida Tomato Committee has sponsored this contest for culinary students. April competed against culinary student entries from schools across the United States. Entries were judged on taste, appearance, originality, ease of preparation, and the importance of tomatoes in the dish. The committee will publish the recipes to promote Florida tomatoes. April's name will appear with her recipe.

April Beané with Jacques Torres at an
event at Filene's in November 2004

A handful of students here at CSCA entered the contest. Ultimately, chef/instructors chose April's recipe to represent the school in the Tomato Contest. The chef/instructors here judged student entries based on the criteria established by the Florida Tomato Committee for recipe submission.

April entered the contest during the Spring 2005. She graduated from the Professional Chef's Program in June 2005.

The winners of the contest are as follows:

First Place: "Florida Tomato and Tapenade Gateaux with Chive Goat Cheese" by Stuart Tracy, Johnson & Wales University

Second Place: "Fiesta Shrimp and Tomato Gazpacho with Mango-Tomatillo Salsa" by April Beané, The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts

Third Place: "Florida Tomatoes and Parsnips Au Gratin" by Hester Fae Jones, Westmoreland Country Community College

Fourth Place: "Florida Tomato and Beef Tenderloin Caprese" by Kee Delany, First Coast Technical Institute