Feast Fest News: 2010 Galen-Ames's Last Year

-10/16/10, 5:01 p.m.

-LOS ANGELES

-Feast Fest concurred in Los Angeles Friday, and before leaving to fly back home to Illinois before returning to L.A. for Feast Fest in November, Fest Chef Brianna Galen-Ames, the event's youngest ever chef, held a press conference and made a surprising--some might say stunning--announcement.

Galen-Ames, 15, is entering her fourth year with Feast Fest after joining in 2007 at age 12. And this fourth Feast Fest, Galen-Ames said, will be her last.

"This decision is unbelievably hard to make, but 2010 will be my last Feast Fest," Galen-Ames declared in front of a small, exclusive, yet shocked crowd.

When pressed for an explanation, the 15 year old maven relented a little. "Well, say that this decision is 100%, I do not wish to. It is a probable decision but not 100% definite. My mother is moving to Europe in June and I will train in culinary schools there. The possibility of me being able to make it overseas to Feast Fest while committed to culinary school, however, is a small one. Therefore, I have decided to make this announcement to prepare everybody, but should I be able to return, I hope I will be welcomed back with open arms."

Galen-Ames's leave will leave yet another gaping hole for Feast Fest scouters to fill before 2011. They were hoping for a quiet offseason before 2011's Feast Fest after saying farewell to three chefs already this offseason. Keith Wholehreh, Alsace Jacquaraiene, and Guillaime Jacquetaine all left Feast Fest in summer of this year after only one year with the event

Her announcement, however, that she will not move to Europe until June has some FF enthusiasts stirring.

Event Manager William Vanderbilt stated, "There are about four or five Feast Fest preparatory exhibitions before the date she is slated to move. Whether or not she participates in those could give us some idea as to what her plan is for FF '11."

But, as Galen-Ames herself pointed out, that, is 13 months away. "This is a just-in-case announcement. I should know hopefully before the scouters close their deliberations next year whether or not I will want to return."

FF scouters had some salary disagreements with Galen-Ames over the summer, and some wondered if that helped to fuel her desire to leave, but she denied these claims. "If I must leave next year, I say here wholeheartedly that it will be very difficult for me."