Shaping high school students into managers and chefs with ProStart

Shaping high school students into managers and chefs with ProStart By Alina Day

ProStart is a nationwide, two-year hospitality program that develops culinary techniques and management skills in high school students. The industry-driven curriculum links classroom learning with handson experience to develop tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice leaders. Some components students learn include communication, customer service skills, business math and forecasting, workplace and food safety, nutrition and retrieving/storage practices.

Students who complete 400 hours of industry work experience and pass both ProStart exams, receive a nationally recognized Certificate of Achievement.

In spring, students form ProStart teams to compete in the Washington State ProStart Invitational. This is their chance to showcase their skills and knowledge in a head-to-head competition against other schools. Teams fall into two categories—culinary and management.

Management teams develop a proposal for the next promising restaurant concept and present it to a panel of industry judges. Their problem-solving skills are tested as they quickly solve challenges daily faced by managers.

The culinary competition highlights each team’s creative abilities through the preparation of a three-course meal in 60 minutes, using only two butane burners, and without access to running water or electricity. Students are evaluated on taste, skill, teamwork, safety and sanitation.

Winners are selected from each category and are eligible to compete in Washington, D.C., at the National ProStart Invitational. Nationals is a competition of ProStart teams from across the country and a chance to get scholarships.

This year, the Washington state event will be held at Hotel RL in Olympia on March 14. Attend the Washington state event and cheer on your local schools! If you hire high

school students, reserve a space in our career fair. Both attendance and being in the career fair are free.

Event attendees can also purchase awards dinner tickets. Tickets grant access to a plated dinner with the ProStart teams and the awards ceremony. Awards include invitational winners, as well as second and third places, Student of the Year, Mentor of the Year and Educator of the Year.

Register for the event at wha.fyi/psi2020. 

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS

Management Teams Bonney Lake High School, Bonney Lake Ferris High School, Spokane Northwest Career & Technical Academy, Mt. Vernon Rogers High School, Spokane

Culinary Teams Bonney Lake High School, Bonney Lake Ferris High School, Spokane Mount Si High School, Snoqualmie Mt. Spokane High School, Spokane Newport High School, Bellevue New Market Skills Center, Olympia North Central High School, Spokane Northwest Career & Technical Academy, Mt. Vernon Puyallup High School, Puyallup Walla Walla High School, Walla Walla