Students from Plymouth-Canton Educational Park basked in the glow of the Sunshine State after claiming the top title this week as the number one culinary team in the nation at the third-annual National ProStart Student Invitational in Orlando Fla.

The four-person student team earned the national competition slot after taking first place in March at the 2004 Michigan ProStart High School Competition, sponsored by the Michigan Restaurant Association (MRA).

Four competing students and an alternate - Adam Strong, Jeff Sartor, Jeremy Walker, Natalie Witkowski, and Sara Nickell - made up the team. MRA Education Director Stacy Gonda traveled with the team to Florida with head coach and teacher Carey Gary, assistant teacher-coach Diana Riley, paraprofessional Mary Barckney, and mentor chef Scott Liston of Rocky?s of Northville. Chef Carlos Bonilla of Atlas Restaurant also mentored the group throughout the year. Airfare to the event was provided by the MRA Educational Support Foundation.

The Plymouth-Canton students competed against 24 state teams who raced against the clock to prepare the best three-course gourmet meal featuring a salad, entree and dessert. Students utilized high-level cooking skills and were judged on safe and sanitary food handling procedures, creative ingredients, artful presentation, and flavorful taste, and some of the most essential skills in a professional kitchen?efficiency, organization and teamwork. A major challenge for the students was the use of only two small, butane flame stoves and an extremely limited workspace.

The Michigan Restaurant Association currently partners with 36 public schools in the state to provide a curriculum that prepares and trains students interested in a career in hospitality management and the culinary arts.

"The MRA state competition and the national ProStart events allow students the opportunity to put to work the culinary and management skills they've studied throughout the school year," said MRA Education Director Stacy Gonda of the Michigan Restaurant Association."Students also have the chance to meet and interact with industry professionals and find out that their dream of working in hospitality and foodservice could someday be reality."

Below is the winning menu created and prepared by the Plymouth-Canton team. Seasonal Garden salad - seasonal baby greens presented in a crisp sesame cracker, accented by seared yellow-fin tuna, orange segments, sliced cucumber, roasted red pepper relish, pecan-crusted goat cheese quenelle, and caramel citrus vinaigrette.

Variation of Duck entree - pan-seared duck breast and mushroom-sage ballotine, complimented by cherry-leek wheat berries, spring asparagus, tourne of carrot, frizzled leeks and pomegranate duck essence.

Chocolate Passion dessert - chocolate and strawberry-passion fruit mousse, accompanied by strawberry apricot chutney, pistachio tuile, Chambord raspberry coulis, and caramel garni.