ProStart Invitational gives Students the Chance to Earn Culinary-and Hospitality-Based Scholarships
For more than a decade, New Jersey’s ProStart Invitational has given high school students the chance to earn thousands of dollars in culinary-and hospitality-based scholarships. This year’s competition, which took place in February, featured two segments: a culinary arts contest and a restaurant management competition.
Students in the culinary arts matchup created a three-course meal in fewer than 60 minutes using only butane burners—no electricity is permitted. “They [the judges] want to see what kind of actual skill you’ve learned,” says Leslie Steele, COO of New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association, the organization that hosts the competition. “If you’re making a meringue, you must hand-whip it.”
As for the hospitality competition, students were required to submit a fully developed restaurant business plan. “The management competition … is challenging because the culinary arts aspect is still incorporated,” Steele says, adding that students must also create menus, develop recipes, and photograph dishes.
Mercer County Technical School won the 2022 hospitality management competition, while Passaic County Technical School won the culinary competition. Both teams went on to represent New Jersey at the National ProStart invitational in Washington, D.C., in May.
