More than 200 high school culinary and hospitality management students, faculty and industry representatives attended the regional Texas ProStart Invitational, a culinary and management competition that mixes elements of “Iron Chef” and “Shark Tank,” at Frisco Campus, Feb. 8-9.
Organized by the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation, the competition brings high school students from across North Texas to compete in two categories: culinary and management. For the culinary portion, the students showcase their skills by preparing food for a panel of esteemed judges selected for their experience in the restaurant industry. The students have 2.5 hours to complete two servings of a three-course meal. Their plates are judged on flavor, appearance and planning. Click here for a video of the competition.
On the management side, students present their own original restaurant concepts – including seating, menus, marketing and more – to a panel of judges looking for exceptional ideas.
Prosper High School Culinary Instructor Christina Goodman said that she hopes her students take several things away from the fun but intense competition that the ProStart Invitational provides.
“I hope my students are able to learn perseverance, to work through any problems that they may have, to work with team members they may never have worked with before and to have the opportunity to be proud of themselves no matter what the outcome may be,” she said.
Students from Prosper, The Colony and Richardson high schools participated in the competition. Richardson High School took fourth place in the culinary competition. Other top schools in the culinary competition included Byron Nelson High School, Azle High School and Ben Barber High School. Top schools in the management competition included Ben Barber High School, Dubiski High School of Grand Prairie, Byron Nelson High School and North Mesquite High School.
This is the fourth year in a row that Collin College’s Frisco Campus has hosted some aspect of the ProStart Invitational.
“We love coming out to Collin College,” said Thomas Boyle, event and education manager for the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation. “The support is amazing. The facility is top-notch. It has everything we have ever asked for, even at the last minute.”
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