From THE HOSPITALITY INSTITUTE
A culinary team from Penta Career Center took the top place in the ProStart Invitational, held Tuesday, March 11 at the Delaware County Fairgrounds
Fourteen high school culinary teams and seven management teams competed in the biggest interscholastic culinary competition in Ohio – the ProStart Invitational.
As winners the Penta team will represent Ohio the National ProStart Invitational.
Elysa Oman (Bowling Green), Ashley Helvy (Springfield), Adriana Urbina (Springfield), Aubree Talley-DeMoe (Maumee), and Violet Lowe (Anthony Wayne) are members of the Penta team.
In the Culinary Competition, which features students preparing a three-course meal on butane burners with no access to electricity or running water, the top schools were:
- 1st Place: Penta Career Center (Perrysburg)
- 2nd Place: Normandy High School (Parma)
- 3rd Place: Vanguard Sentinel Career and Technology Centers (Fremont)
- 4th Place: Tolles Career & Technical Center (Plain City)
- 5th Place: Delaware Area Career Center (Delaware)
In the Management Competition, which features students pitching a restaurant concept Shark Tank-style, the top schools were:
- 1st Place: Southwestern Career Academy (Grove City)
- 2nd Place: Centerville High School (Centerville)
- 3rd Place: Delaware Area Career Center (Delaware)
Both Penta Career Center and Southwestern Career Academy will travel to Baltimore, MD in early May to compete in the National ProStart Invitational against high schoolers from across the country. Judges for the Ohio ProStart Invitational, which is hosted by the Hospitality Institute of Ohio, included 45 industry professionals in post-secondary education, restauranteurs, suppliers, hospitality and culinary personnel from Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
Katelyn Hall (Oak Harbor) and Brooklyn Preston (Eastwood) competed in the Managementment Competition.
ProStart is a two-year industry-backed culinary arts and restaurant management opportunity for high school juniors and seniors that teaches students about the restaurant, hospitality and culinary arts industry while encouraging them to utilize those skills in the workplace. ProStart provides students with the opportunity to earn a nationally recognized credential, Certificate of Achievement (COA), as well as college articulation credit and scholarships.
Photos from the event are linked here, and more details can be found at hospitalityohio.org/prostart.
About the Hospitality Institute of Ohio
For over 20 years, the Hospitality Institute of Ohio, a non-profit, has served the restaurant, foodservice and hospitality community. Focused on building, expanding, supporting and training individuals through programs and initiatives which develop skills that connect to enriching and rewarding careers. The institute on donors to continue its efforts to ignite passion and fulfill dreams of the current and future hospitality workforce. The organization strives to empowering individuals, strengthening businesses and expanding our community. To learn more, visit hospitalityohio.org.
