April 29, 2009
Contact: Megan Meyer (312) 715-6741, Jessica Wion (312) 715-5397

The National Restaurant Association announced today the winners of the eighth annual National ProStart Invitational, held April 24- 26, 2009 in San Diego, Calif. Among the field of more than 300 student competitors from 39 states, territories and districts, the teams from Missouri and Oregon won top honors in the culinary and management competitions, respectively. The winning ProStart students took home medals, prizes and scholarships, including scholarships from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) and The Coca-Cola Company, the premier sponsor of the event.

"These talented students were put to the test during the intense, three-day competition and rose to the challenge. All of the competing students earned our respect through the talent, passion and professionalism they displayed throughout the competition," said Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO, National Restaurant Association. "These future leaders will be enormous assets to the industry as they advance in their education and careers."

More than 750 people were on hand to witness these future stars of the industry in action, including competitors, educators, mentors, state restaurant association representatives, judges, sponsors, industry representatives and friends and family. The National Restaurant Association’s National ProStart Invitational showcased the talents of top ProStart students as they competed in the culinary and management competitions. To qualify for the national competition, teams won first place in the state competitions held this year by their individual state restaurant associations.

The team from Herndon Career Center in Missouri took home first place in the culinary competition. Olathe North High School of Kansas earned second place honors, and Provo High School of Utah came in third place. Fourth place honors were awarded to George Washington High School in Guam and Silverado High School of Nevada took home fifth place. In the culinary competition, teams prepared a starter, entrée and dessert within 60 minutes and were judged on categories including taste, presentation, safety, sanitation and teamwork.

In the equally exciting management competition, Bend High School in Oregon took top honors above second place Lorain County JVS of Ohio. The team from Carson High School in Nevada won third place. Fourth and fifth places were awarded to Carver Center for Arts & Technology of Maryland and Cheyenne East High School in Wyoming, respectively. To conquer this event, teams demonstrated their knowledge of the restaurant and foodservice industry by competing in a case study – where competitors were tested on their communication skills and ability to apply their industry knowledge to practical situations – and in a question-and-answer “game show”-style event.

Guy Fieri, the popular Food Network host of four shows - Guy Off the Hook, Guy’s Big Bite, Ultimate Recipe Showdown, and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives – helped present the awards to the winning teams at the Awards Ceremony on Sunday evening. An ardent supporter of ProStart, Fieri is a three-term President of the Restaurant Association of the Redwood Empire and serves on the Board of Directors for the Educational Foundation of the California Restaurant Association.

At the Awards Ceremony, $1.1 million in scholarships were awarded to the top teams in the culinary and management competitions. The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and The Coca-Cola Company distributed $88,000 in scholarships to the first- through fifth-place winning students. In addition, winning students were offered scholarships from The Culinary Institute of America, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes, Johnson & Wales University, Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America, New England Culinary Institute and the Professional Culinary Institute.

The Coca-Cola Company is the premier sponsor of the National Restaurant Association’s National ProStart Invitational. Additional sponsors include Darden Restaurants, QSR Magazine, The Culinary Institute of America, Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America, Chef Works, Golden Corral, The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes, Mercer Cutlery, Professional Culinary Institute, Cambro Manufacturing Company, Sysco Food Services of San Diego, Inc. and Whole Foods Market.

Nationwide, 78,000 students in 47 states, territories and districts are served by ProStart, a two-year curriculum supported by the National Restaurant Association and state restaurant associations across the United States that blends classroom learning with mentored work experience to teach high school students the management and culinary skills needed for a career in the restaurant and foodservice industry. When students meet academic standards, complete a checklist of competencies, and work at least 400 hours in the industry, they are awarded the ProStart National Certificate of Achievement that signifies they are well qualified to enter the industry workforce. The career-building program is managed nationally by National Restaurant Association Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Restaurant Association. For more information on the ProStart program and National ProStart Invitational, please visit www.prostart.restaurant.org.

For photos of the winning teams and event photos, please visit www.restaurant.org/pressroom/gallery.cfm. For the winning menu or the management case study, please contact Megan Meyer at mmeyer@restaurant.org.