For the past 13 years, the Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation (LRAEF) has hosted an annual ProStart Student Competition.
This year, March 25-26, 2014, 23 teams from across the state will convene for
the first time at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center to compete in the Louisiana Seafood ProStart Student Invitational. More exciting is that the top three teams
in each competition will have more than $1.2 million in scholarship
opportunities to the top Louisiana and nationwide culinary institutions.
“What is evident is the demand by leading culinary
institutions to recruit Louisiana ProStart students for their programs,” said
LRA President/CEO Stan Harris. “The amount of scholarship dollars the LRAEF
obtains for our students rivals those secured by the National Restaurant
Association Educational Foundation for its National ProStart Invitational
winners.”
Administered by the LRAEF, ProStart is a two-year
comprehensive culinary management course for juniors and seniors in high school
with two primary outcomes: to prepare students for higher education and to
train students to go directly to work in Louisiana’s foodservice industry.
“There are so many rewarding career possibilities for these
young people participating in ProStart,” said LRAEF Chair Helen LeBourgeois. “In
the next decade, our industry in Louisiana will add more than 17,000 new
positions.”
The competition showcases the culinary and academic talents
of high school junior and senior ProStart students and features two primary
components: the Culinary Competition and the Management Competition.
During the Culinary Competition, Tuesday, March 25 from
10:45-5 p.m., teams will demonstrate their creative abilities through the
presentation of a three-course, gourmet meal consisting of: a soup, salad or
appetizer; a protein such as meat, fish or fowl, vegetable and starch; and a
cold or flambé dessert. All teams’ menus must feature at least one type of
Louisiana seafood. Twenty-four judges from the foodservice industry and
post-secondary educational institutions will observe and rate their performance
during the competition.
“The judges are always impressed by the degree of difficulty
the students undertake when preparing and presenting their dishes,” said
LeBourgeois. “Some of them judge ProStart competitions in other states and consistently
compliment our students on how well they season their dishes.”
Teams participating in the Management Competition,
Wednesday, March 26 from 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., will demonstrate their knowledge
of the restaurant and foodservice industry by developing a restaurant proposal,
delivering a verbal presentation and applying critical thinking skills to
challenges managers face in day-to-day operations. Their performance will be
observed and rated by 15 judges from leading colleges and universities and
industry professionals.
“Louisiana teams do extremely well at Nationals,
particularly the management teams,” added LeBourgeois. “Several years ago,
Louisiana took top place at the National ProStart Invitational in the
Management Competition and consistently places in the top 5.”
To compete at this level for high schools students is a
testament to the ProStart curriculum and the dedication of the teachers to preparation
them for the challenge. To effectively compete requires teamwork, planning,
communication, measurement, and writing and presentation skills.
“Of all the events the LRA hosts, the ProStart Competition
is by far my favorite to attend,” said Harris. “It is exciting to see these
young people test their skills and knowledge of culinary and management
techniques, while showing their commitment to teamwork and their future.”
The ProStart Competition and the work of the LRAEF are made
possible by the nine LRA Chapters and their annual contributions, as well as
its Annual Partners. This year’s event sponsors include: Louisiana Seafood,
Acme Oyster House, Auto-Chlor Services, Louisiana Hospitality Foundation,
Performance Foodservice Caro, Atmos Energy, Louisiana Culinary Institute,
Drago’s Seafood Restaurant, New Orleans Wine and Food Experience, Raising
Cane’s, Louisiana Gas Association, Whole Foods, Entergy, Chef Paul Prudhomme’s
“Sea of Hope,” Centerplate, Coca-Cola, Community Coffee, Custom Apparel,
Ecolab, Freeman Decorating, Generations Hall and the New Orleans Morial
Convention Center.
“This annual event allows us to showcase the commitment of
these young people, who are training to become the future leaders of Louisiana’s
restaurant industry,” added Harris. “The LRA encourages its members to hire
ProStart students and to further the LRAEF’s mission, the LRA State Board has dedicated
a portion of its excess surplus annually to the Scholarship Fund.”
