Ninety-six
high school teams vied to win national culinary and restaurant
management honors in Baltimore
BALTIMORE, April 29,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The culinary team from the
Caesar Rodney High School from Camden,
Del., and restaurant management team from Orange County
School of the Arts from Santa Ana,
Calif., captured the championship titles Sunday evening in
the 2024 National ProStart Invitational. Teams from 48 states
battled in a weekend-long showdown that featured more than 400
students and a roster of top restaurant and foodservice industry
judges. The National ProStart Invitational is the nation's largest
high school culinary and restaurant management contest. A fusion of
"Chopped" and "Shark Tank," it provides a platform for the students
to compete for a share of scholarships totaling $200,000.
Hosted by the National Restaurant Association Educational
Foundation at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront on
April 26-28, the National ProStart
Invitational was a high stakes competition of the country's best
student culinary and restaurant management teams, each of whom
earned the right to compete after winning their state-level
competitions. Find the event media kit here.
The culinary teams prepared, plated, and presented a
three-course dining menu without access to electricity or running
water, and using just two butane burners. They were assessed by
judges on several factors, including food safety and sanitation,
costing, preparation, and plating/presentation. Simultaneously, 48
restaurant management teams presented and defended original
restaurant concepts across hour-long interactive Q&A periods
with a panel of restaurant and foodservice industry judges.
The Caesar Rodney High School culinary team created three
menu-ready recipes, including detailed cooking instructions, menu
cost analysis, and then executed the dishes during the competition.
Each dish was professionally plated and tasted as part of the
competition. Their menu included Hand-Rolled Pork Dumplings, Pepper
Crusted Steak Diane, and a Lemon Meringue Tart.
Orange County School of the Arts management team's winning
restaurant concept brought sports and breakfast together as a
satisfying answer to chaotic schedules and unpredictable cravings.
The restaurant, called Teddy's, is a quick casual restaurant
designed to be a community destination for people who want to enjoy
breakfast while catching their favorite sports matchup. The
students created a full business plan including budget, restaurant
design, and marketing plans, and then pitched their proposals to
industry professionals.
"It's inspiring to watch these students put so much of their
hearts and souls into this competition and to know that the grit
that got them here will be what propels their careers," said
Michelle Korsmo, president & CEO
of the National Restaurant Association and CEO of the National
Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. "These competitors
represent what's possible when the courage and creativity of young
leaders is supported by educational programs like ProStart."
"This year's national ProStart students are a window into the
culinary excellence and creative restaurant concepts that will be
part of our industry in the years to come," said Rob Gifford, president of the National
Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. "Thanks to thousands
of ProStart educators in classrooms across the country, these
students will leave high school equipped with skills to build a
future career in our industry – or wherever their futures take
them."
Following are the top five teams in the culinary and restaurant
management competitions.
Culinary Winners
- Caesar Rodney High School, Camden,
Del.
- Herndon Career Center, Raytown,
Mo.
- Anderson Career and Technology Center, Williamston, S.C.
- Ben Barber Innovation Academy, Mansfield, Texas
- Normandy High School, Parma,
Ohio
Management Winners
- Orange County School of the Arts, Santa Ana, Calif.
- Wilbur Cross High School,
New Haven, Conn.
- Elk River High School,
Elk River, Minn.
- Wando High School, Mt Pleasant, S.C.
- Strawberry Crest High School, Dover,
Fla.
In addition to the competition winners, Chef Timothy Beckenbaugh from Central Pennsylvania
Institute of Science and Technology in Pleasant Gap, Pa., was recognized as the 2024
James H. Maynard Teacher of the Year. With support from
Golden Corral, the award is part of
the annual ProStart Educator of Excellence award program, which
recognizes the country's top educators who demonstrate classroom
excellence and an unparalleled commitment to helping their students
make the most of the program's opportunities.
ProStart – the National Restaurant Association Educational
Foundation's nationwide career and technical education program –
has equipped more than 1 million high school students with
career-ready culinary and restaurant management skills. More than
an elective, the program is designed to equip students with
restaurant-specific certifications and competencies, over 400 hours
of practical work experience, and access to restaurant and
hospitality apprenticeship and scholarship opportunities. Students
complete the ProStart program ready to join a professional kitchen
or advance to higher education. Today, the program reaches nearly
165,000 students at almost 1,850 schools.
The 2024 National ProStart Invitational was made possible by
many donors and sponsors, including The Coca-Cola Company, DIRECTV
FOR BUSINESS National Accounts, Ecolab, Golden Corral, and Nestlé Professional.
About
ProStart®
ProStart®, a
nationwide, two-year high school career and technical education
program uniting the classroom and restaurant industry, reaches
nearly 165,000 students at almost 1,850 high schools throughout all
states, the District of Columbia
and Guam. ProStart gives students
a platform to discover and develop new interests and talents, while
teaching employability skills like teamwork, professional behavior,
time management and communication.
About the National Restaurant Association Educational
Foundation (NRAEF)
As the supporting
philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association,
the NRAEF's charitable mission includes enhancing the industry's
training and education, career development, and community
engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract,
Empower, and Advance today's and tomorrow's restaurant and
foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart® – a
high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant
Ready/HOPES – Partnering with community based organizations to
provide people with skills training and job opportunities; Military
– helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to
restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships – financial
assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and
hospitality degrees; and the Restaurant & Hospitality
Leadership Center (RHLC) – accredited apprenticeship programs
designed to build the careers of service professionals. For more
information on the NRAEF,
visit ChooseRestaurants.org. Click here for the National
Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's 2023 Annual Impact
Report.
Media Contact: Zef Vataj,
zvataj@sloanepr.com
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SOURCE National Restaurant Association