Four teen chefs from Texas recently cooked at the James Beard House in New York City, serving as sous chefs alongside New York Chef Scott Barton. The occasion: the opening of the Jemima Code exhibition, which chronicles the culinary contributions of black women in American cuisine. Austinite Toni Tipton-Martin, a journalist and culinary historian, created the exhibit and organized the students’ trip. The chefs whipped up shrimp gumbo, stuffed mushrooms, caviar salad and spoon bread topped with oyster and crab sauce.

“It was the greatest thing of my life,” Lupe Pirul, 19, of Travis High School, told the Austin American-Statesman. “You feel different because you feel like you accomplished something. And I was happy that everyone in my family was so proud of me.”

Culinary students Donna Cruz, 18, left, and Lupe Pirul, 19, of Travis High School (Pflugerville, Texas), worked at the James Beard House recently in New York City. (Photo by DEBORAH CANNON, American-Statesman)