High school students compete for culinary scholarships

Jefferson State Community College's Shelby-Hoover campus off Valleydale Road will host Alabama's first state ProStart Invitational Feb. 7.

ProStart is a nationwide, two-year high school program to develop restaurant and food service leaders. Dozens of top ProStart students from across the state will demonstrate their mastery of restaurant leadership skills in a fast-paced competition to win a part of the $100,000 in scholarships. The first-place team in will be crowned the state champions.

“This year, ProStart students from across Alabama have the unique opportunity to compete for top honors and a chance to represent their schools,” said Minday Hanan, CEO of the Alabama Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance. “The state ProStart competitions are the culmination of students’ hard work and a chance to showcase what they’ve learned, while competing for scholarships to help support them in their continuing education.”

The culinary competition highlights the creative abilities of each team as they prepare a three-course meal in 60 minutes, using only two burners with no access to running water or electricity. Teams are evaluated on taste, teamwork, safety and sanitation, among other skills.

Management teams develop a business proposal for an original restaurant concept and present it to a panel of industry judges, who challenge them to address the issues restaurant managers face on a daily basis.