Pro Start Students Head To Nationals
Congratulations!
Cathy Moon, Instructor
January 30, 2010
Each year for the past nine years, the Illinois Restaurant Association Education Foundation in conjunction with the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation has sponsored the Pro Start Invitational. Schools who have adopted the Pro Start curriculum in their classrooms are invited to put together teams of students to compete in a two part competition. The Illinois Pro Start Invitational took place January 16, 2010.
The competition took on a different scope this year, with a newly developed management section, along with the culinary competition area. The student members of this year’s team are Dillon Bauer,son of Jay and Kim Bauer, Stockton; Karribean Smith, daughter of Patricia Smith,West Carroll; Irving Lopez, son of Senen and Brenda Lopez; and Donald Tepper, son of Kathy Buckley, Galena. The scope of the competition is to demonstrate their knowledge of the restaurant industry by developing a business proposal for a new restaurant idea. The students put together a comprehensive proposal including menu with recipes and costing, floor plans, marketing proposal, along with descriptions of the restaurant concept and goals of the team. The entire team worked after school and on weekends from September until the day before the competition and did a tremendous job.
The competition took place at Kendall College in Chicago in two different sections, the kitchen and the management area. The kitchen team, Irving Lopez and Karribean Smith, prepared and presented three menu items from the restaurant concept as well as completing hands on competency skills in breaking down a whole chicken and knife skills. The management team, Dillon Bauer and Donald Tepper, prepared and delivered a ten minute presentation and power point for the judges. The whole team as worked on the concept and business plan and then focused on their individual areas.
The management team took first place in the management portion of the competition and will attend the National Pro Start Invitational in Overland Park, Kansas on April 30 through May 2, 2010.
