GFS Student ProStart Competition

Teams from across Ohio will meet on Sunday, February 21 and Monday, February 22 for the Eighth Annual Ohio ProStart® Invitational. This is a statewide competition sponsored by Gordon Food Service Company located in Springfield, Ohio. Each year the competition is held in conjunction with the North America Pizza & Ice Cream Show and includes culinary and management events.

Participating teams in the culinary competition will be stepping up their culinary skill sets by demonstrating their ability to fabricate chicken. Their creative juices will also be flowing while they prepare a healthy meal consisting of a starter, a protein, a starch, a vegetable, and a delicious dessert. Management teams will demonstrate their knowledge of the restaurant industry and ProStart® curriculum by developing a business proposal for a new restaurant concept. Their skills and knowledge will be challenged by creating and presenting a PowerPoint presentation and visual display of their new restaurant. The business proposal will consist of a defined restaurant model, supporting menu, and creative marketing plan. The students’ performance during the culinary and management events will be observed and rated by judges from industry professionals, leading post-secondary colleges, and well-renowned chefs from around the world.

These students will be eligible for many scholarship opportunities from college and universities across the nation. This competition is one more stepping stone for our ProStart® students to earn their ProStart® National Certificate of Achievement, which signifies that they are qualified to enter the industry workforce or matriculate to a post-secondary school. Please visit www.oraef.org for a listing of our upcoming events, ProStart® Preferred Partners, and generous sponsors. We also invite you to call Sharon Fish or Valerie Foley at 877-442-9374 for further information about the ProStart® program and our industry workforce initiatives.