Ducky chicken: Sourav Sarkar of National High School styled up his platter like a pro. “This is a savoury Chicken Potato Dumpling (picture left) that can be had as a starter. Inspired by my grandmother, who is a great cook, I have taken to cooking quite gladly,” said Sourav, adding finishing touches to his Indo-Chinese Chicken main dish served with rice-stuffed green and red capsicums. And for dessert? A Gourd Chocolate Kheer. “Lauki is quite unconventional. But I just wanted to take the risk!” he said. Pictures by Bhubaneswarananda Halder

A few years back, most school kids would have forgone home science classes for fear of failing the tests. But thanks to cooking shows on TV, topped by Junior MasterChef Australia, stirring it up is a rage amongst school-goers. Whipping up that passion was a contest at The International Institute of Hotel Management, Salt Lake campus, held on Saturday.

What: IIHM Young Chef India Schools London 2012.

The format: The second edition of the pan-India contest strives to bring together the top young chefs from across eight cities — Calcutta, Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Goa and Guwahati. The contests were open to Class XII students, from August 9 -18.

The finalist from each city will head to London for the September 25 finale at the University of West London, Ealing. On the judging panel will be celebrity chef-writer- educationist-hospitality consultant Professor David Foskett.

Secret ingredients: Scared or not, Zainab Jawed of Calcutta Girls High School put up a smiling face — with a stained apron to speak of her hard work — while Shaun took a spoonful of her Lachha Paratha with Chicken, topped with a Shahi Tukra.

The prize: The winner can claim a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh while the first runner-up takes home Rs 1 lakh.

Starting young: “My love for cooking and food was inspired by Nigella Lawson. I have been hooked to her shows since Class VII,” said 17-year-old Swastik Nandan of Delhi Public School, Ruby Park. Swastik had the judges stopping by his Greek-inspired Tahiti Paneer along with a gooey Cheesy Paratha, wrapped up with an innovative Honey Firni. “I love cooking, but I am competing to make my family proud,” said Ufsa Naveli of Albany Hall Public School.

Master chefs: The Calcutta chapter saw five of the city’s top chefs judge the aspirants. “If they have been able to plate up the dishes without burning themselves or the food, and have also presented it well, I guess the contest is half won,” said Mayank Kulshreshtha, executive chef of ITC Sonar Calcutta.

Chef Sharad Dewan of The Park, executive sous chef Pranay Kumar Singh and Gilles Ambuehl, both from Swissotel, and t2 food columnist Shaun Kenworthy, who is also the director of culinary arts, IIHM, had a tough time picking the best out of the 21 dishes presented. “I have seen this contest grow. I remember expecting something amateurish from the students last time, but they surprised me,” said Shaun.

School surprise: Swiss chef Gilles Ambuehl was amazed. “I had expected culinary school students, but in spite of that they are producing such brilliant dishes. It is a really nice idea and am witnessing such a contest for the first time,” said Gilles, as he went tasting around the table.

Parents’ pride: It was a nail-biting time for parents. “We had to eat the same food for the past few days! But we are so proud of Shazia,” said dad Shahawar Qureshi about his Loreto House daughter.

Organiser speak: “This exercise is aimed at bringing out the best talent in the field of culinary art and promoting the industry by encouraging youngsters to join the force,” said Dr Suborno Bose, the man behind the event and chairman of Indismart Group, the parent company of IIHM.

By the rulebook

By the clock: Two hours. 15 minutes to gather the ingredients.

Ingredients: Provided by IIHM, included basic vegetables and non-vegetarian items.

On the menu: A minimum of two dishes had to be made — an Indian main dish and an accompaniment. Extra dishes meant extra points but all within the time limit.

Score sheet: Taste, texture, composition, appearance and overall appeal were the five main categories that could get a score between 1 and 10.

Next what? The finalists will have to plan out a three-course menu if selected to fly to London. The Calcutta winner is yet to be decided.