Students Awarded Scholarships After Winning National Culinary and Restaurant Business Competition

- New Caney High School and Polaris Career Center claim top titles at 15th Annual National ProStart Invitational® in Grapevine, Texas -

News provided by

National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

May 02, 2016, 10:40 ET

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Members of 10 teams of high school students were awarded scholarships at the 15^th Annual National ProStart Invitational^® after two days of intense culinary and restaurant management competition in Grapevine, Texas.

Nearly 400 student competitors from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's (NRAEF) ProStart® program competed in two distinct competitions – management and culinary – that showcase the most important skills needed on either side of the restaurant and foodservice industry.

Students from New Caney High School, in New Caney, Texas, win first place at national restaurant management competition.

Students from Polaris Career Center, in Middleburg, Ohio, win first place in national culinary competition.

Sponsored by Golden Corral and Cargill, the culinary competition tested the teams' creative abilities as they prepared a three-course meal in 60 minutes, using only two butane burners. They were evaluated on taste, skill, teamwork, safety and sanitation.

Students competing in the management competition, sponsored by Ecolab, were tasked with developing a proposal for the next promising restaurant concept, which they presented to a panel of industry judges. Their problem-solving skills were also put to the test as they had to quickly solve challenges faced by managers daily.

The 2016 National ProStart Invitational team winners are:

First place
Culinary: Polaris Career Center; Middleburg Heights, Ohio
Management: New Caney High School; New Caney, Texas

Second place
Culinary: Plymouth Canton Educational Park; Canton, Michigan
Management: Eastside High School; Gainesville, Florida

Third place
Culinary: Academy of Culinary Arts at Byron Nelson; Trophy Club, Texas
Management: Grandview High School; Aurora, Colorado

Fourth place
Culinary: Olathe Public Schools; Olathe, Kansas
Management: Saginaw Career Complex; Saginaw, Michigan

Fifth place
Culinary: South Salem High School; Salem, Oregon
Management: Sauk Rapids-Rice High School; Sauk Rapids, Minnesota

The first and second place scholarships, $5,000 and $3,000, respectively, as well as an awards dinner honoring the winners of each competition, were sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company. Darden Restaurants Foundation, Popeye's and Georgia-Pacific offered cash scholarships for the third through fifth place culinary and management teams in amounts ranging from $1,500-$500. The BURGER KING McLAMORE^SM Foundation sponsored an additional scholarship of $1,000, which was distributed to every winning student through the BURGER KING Scholars Program. The scholarships grant each winner funds to continue their restaurant or foodservice education at a college or university of their choice.

"Congratulations to all of our winners," says Rob Gifford, executive vice president of NRAEF. "We are so proud of each and every one of the teams. These students are the future of the restaurant industry, and we look forward to seeing what they accomplish next."

In addition to competing, students were encouraged to take full advantage of the National ProStart Invitational by meeting with schools, recruiters and restaurant and foodservice industry leaders to discuss higher education and career paths in the industry.

For more information on the National ProStart Invitational, visit http://www.nraef.org/ProStart/Invitational.

For more information on the ProStart® program, visit NRAEF.org/ProStart or find us on Twitter or Facebook.

About ProStart®
With national and local support from industry members, educators, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) and state restaurant association partners, ProStart^® reaches nearly 140,000 students in more than 1,800 high schools throughout all states, Guam and at Department of Defense Education Activity schools in Europe and the Pacific. ProStart gives students a platform to discover and develop new interests and talents, while teaching employability skills like teamwork, professional behavior, time management and communication.

National ProStart Invitational®
The National ProStart Invitational® is the country's premier secondary school competition focused on restaurant management and culinary arts. The finale of a nationwide series of state competitions hosted by partner state restaurant associations, the annual Invitational, now in its 15^th year, brings together hundreds of student competitors to win scholarships to continue their restaurant/foodservice education at a college or university of their choice.

National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
As the philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the NRAEF exists to enhance the restaurant industry's service to the public through education, community engagement and promotion of career opportunities. The NRAEF works to attract, develop and retain a career-oriented professional workforce for the restaurant industry. In 2016, the restaurant and foodservice industry is projected to provide a record 14.4 million jobs, making it the nation's second largest private-sector employer. For more information on the NRAEF, visit NRAEF.org.

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SOURCE National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation