Washington students head to the National ProStart® Invitational

Congratulations to our state ProStart champions!

This year the competition was held at Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle on March 4. The management team of Bonney Lake High School took home the trophy in their category. The team’s concept was a restaurant called “Wish” and featured dishes popularized by Disney movies.

The Bonney Lake High School management team’s members are:

• Emily McCullough

• Mira Tynes

• KellyJo Hammond

• Educator: Kahale Ahina

• Mentor: Dan Corekin, Valley Harvest Products

The culinary team of Newport High School in Bellevue, Wash., also took home a trophy.

The team, cooking without electricity or running water, created a menu featuring fresh Northwest ingredients, such as Waygu beef and oysters.

The Newport High School culinary team’s members are:

• Armaan Virk

• Porter Neauman

• Wesley Zhang

• Brady Talich

• Cameron Poad

• Educator: Tracy Green

• Educator: Ashley Choi

• Mentor: Justin Lee, Snoqualmie Casino

Both teams went to Washington D.C. in May to compete in the National ProStart Tournament. Bonney Lake’s management team came in 17th place, while the culinary team at Newport High School took home the third-place trophy. Congratulations to both teams!

Washington Hospitality Association

President & CEO Anthony Anton interviewed both teams for the CEO Podcast. You can listen to it wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Washington Hospitality Association Industry Podcast.”

And a special thank you to the Cowlitz Tribe! The tribe gave ProStart a grant that allowed the association to help cover some of the travel costs for these two winning teams. ■