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| For Immediate Release |
Contact: Andy Deloney |
March 18, 2009
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517/377-3931 |
Students from Fruitport, Battle Creek, and Saginaw Victorious at Michigan ProStart® Student Competition March 15
National invitational competition in San Diego is next stop for state champs
LANSING – A team of culinary students from Fruitport High School in Fruitport, a team of hospitality management students from the Calhoun Area Career Center in Battle Creek and a team of hospitality marketing students from the Saginaw Career Complex in Saginaw each took first place in their respective competitions at the Michigan ProStart® Student Competition, presented by the Michigan Restaurant Association (MRA) Educational Support Foundation at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing. The teams from the Mason-Lake Intermediate School District (ISD) in Scottville won the All-Competition Award for best overall performance in each of the three individual disciplines.
This event is comprised of three distinct disciplines: culinary, management, and marketing. It is a culmination of a year’s worth of work, where students can demonstrate their skills. Winning teams in culinary and management will advance to the National ProStart® Invitational, April 24-26, 2009, in San Diego, California.
The Fruitport culinary team demonstrated their creative abilities through the preparation of a three course meal in only 60 minutes with two propane burners as their cooking equipment.
The Calhoun Area management team demonstrated their knowledge of the restaurant and foodservice industry by competing in two different events. In the Case Study, students are tested on their communication skills and their ability to apply their knowledge of the restaurant and foodservice industry to practical situations. The second portion of the competition, the Quiz Bowl, is a question and answer “Jeopardy!” style event.
The Saginaw team won the competition in the marketing/entrepreneurship discipline in which teams developed a proposal for a new restaurant concept based on demographic information, and submitted the plan to a group of judges, much as a business proposal is submitted to investors.
As for the winning teams, each member received college scholarships from some of the top culinary schools and programs in the country. Scholarship money awarded totaled nearly $200,000 from such schools as the Culinary Institute of America, the New England Culinary Institute, the Culinary Institute of Michigan at Baker College, Ferris State University, and Johnson and Wales University.
The culinary competition was sponsored by SYSCO, the management competition was sponsored by Gordon Food Service, and the marketing competition was sponsored by American Express.
ProStart is the career-building program for high school students who are interested in culinary arts and foodservice management. Over two challenging and rewarding years, ProStart students experience classroom study, mentored work experiences as well as state and national competitions. Nationwide, ProStart involves approximately 60,000 student participants in more than 1,600 schools, across 47 states, territories and districts. In Michigan, 54 schools and career centers use the ProStart curriculum, with over 2,500 students participating.
The Michigan Restaurant Association (MRA) is the recognized leader of Michigan's hospitality industry, providing essential services to the foodservice community. Founded in 1921, the MRA represents more than 4,500 Michigan foodservice establishments. The industry plays an integral role in Michigan's economy, employing more than 423,600 people and creating more than $13.1 billion in annual sales. For more information please call 800-968-9668.
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