When Reilly Meehan was a boy, he worked at the Seabright Brewery, which happens to be co-owned by his father.
When Reilly Meehan was a boy, he worked at the Seabright Brewery, which happens to be co-owned by his father. It was there that he learned the joys of American bar food, making seafood, burgers and award-winning fries. But that was hardly enough for the Pacific Collegiate School alumnus. In 2008, he moved to Coos Bay, Ore., to train at the Oregon Coast Culinary Institute. In 2011, he resurfaced in Istanbul as a competitor at the Chaine des Rotisseurs Jeunes Commis, an international competition for young chefs. By the end of the event, Meehan became the first American and the youngest competitor to win the prestigious event.
Each of the 21 competitors was given a basket with surprise ingredients: lobster and lamb, as well as leeks, eggplant, and figs. They then had four hours to plan a menu, cook it, and serve it to the panel of judges. Meehan began with chilled lobster roulades, made a main course of a rack of lamb with leeks and eggplants, and based his dessert around the figs.
Meehan will take part in the 2012 Culinary Olympics in Germany, where he will be a member of Team USA. Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
