OHIO PROSTART® STATE COMPETITION

Teams from across Ohio will meet on Sunday, February 17 and Monday, February 18 for the Eleventh Annual Ohio ProStart® Invitational. This is a statewide competition supported 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. Individual events are supported by Sysco and Columbus Culinary Institute at Bradford.

Participating teams in the culinary competition, sponsored by the Columbus Culinary Institute, 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 in the management portion of the competition, supported by Sysco, 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 Ohio 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, Ohio ProStart® Preferred Partners, and generous supporters. We also invite you to call Sharon Fish at 877-442-9374 for further information about the Ohio ProStart® program and our industry workforce initiatives.