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Students put management and culinary arts skills to the test
Six Marion C. Moore School students recently earned top honors at the third annual Kentucky ProStart Invitational, a high school competition focused on restaurant management and culinary arts.
Teams representing high schools and educational centers from across the state traveled to Shepherdsville on March 10 to compete in the event, hosted by the Kentucky Restaurant Association Education Foundation.
Moore students Ambur Crawford and Jaylan Taylor finished first in the management portion of the competition for their concept called “On the Fly,” an airport restaurant that serves soul food. The management competition challenges students to demonstrate their knowledge of the industry by developing a restaurant proposal, delivering a verbal presentation and applying critical thinking skills to challenges that restaurant managers face in day-to-day operations.
Students Viviana Hernandez, Zulmara Suarez, Jose Fonseca and Jonathon Soeder earned a second-place finish in the culinary portion of the competition, which challenges students to execute perfect knife cuts, develop a three-course meal in one hour (using only two butane burners), and cost-out the meal for menu pricing. Students are evaluated by industry professional on their sanitation, teamwork, organization and taste.
“The competition is an outstanding opportunity for high school students to demonstrate the skills they’ve learned through the ProStart program,” said Stacy Roof, Kentucky Restaurant Association president and CEO. “ProStart students are learning to form a career path from their passion for the culinary arts. This competition represents the culmination of countless hours of preparation throughout the school year.”
Moore is one of 12 high schools participating in the Academies of Louisville initiative, which shifts away from traditional techniques and allows students to connect what they’re learning in the classroom to the real world through a subject that interests them. Academies at Moore include the Freshman Academy; Health Sciences Academy; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Academy; and Community Academy, which includes culinary and food services.
ProStart is a nationwide, two-year high school program that unites the classroom and industry to develop the best and brightest talent into tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice leaders.
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