Social Media News Release

March 25, 2009
8th Annual National ProStart Invitational™

Megan Meyer, (312) 715-6741
Jessica Wion, (312) 715-5397

The National ProStart Invitational™ is the country's preeminent competition for high school students pursuing a career in the restaurant and foodservice industry.

Note to journalists: You may receive complimentary access to all event and meal functions; please contact Megan Meyer to request media access.

• The National ProStart Invitational, hosted by the National Restaurant Association, will be held April 24-26, 2009 at the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center in San Diego, Calif.


• Teams of ProStart students representing 39 states, territories and districts will compete for top honors at the National ProStart Invitational in two events: culinary and management.


• Teams participating in the culinary competition will demonstrate their creative abilities through the preparation of a meal consisting of a starter, entrée and dessert in 60 minutes. Teams must cook on two butane burners only — they have no access to running water, electricity or additional heat sources.


• The management competition will highlight a team’s knowledge of the restaurant and foodservice industry by competing in a case study, where students are tested on their communication skills and ability to apply their industry knowledge to practical situations, as well as a question-and-answer “game show”-style event.


• Students are competing for prizes and scholarships to continue their education at colleges and universities across the country, including scholarships from the event Premier Sponsor, the Coca-Cola Company. In 2008, $1.3 million in scholarships were awarded.


• To compete at the National ProStart Invitational, teams must win first place at their state competition. More than 4,000 students across the globe will compete at the state level to earn the chance to advance to the national competition, with only 275 students moving on to the National ProStart Invitational.

• "This preeminent high school competition brings together the future leaders of our industry with current industry and academic leaders. The ProStart students who earn their way to the national competition strive to impress these potential future employers who act as judges and spectators, in addition to competing for top honors and scholarships. The competition highlights the culinary and management skills the students have mastered – skills that are critical to success in the restaurant and foodservice industry."
  
  — Dawn Sweeney, National Restaurant Association President and CEO
  

• 2009 National ProStart Invitational
• ProStart Program
• Restaurant Industry Employment Statistics
• "High School Students Compete for Culinary Scholarship" - News Channel 8
• "Culinary students face off in statewide contest" - The Olympian
• "Sweet smell of success continues" - Lake Geneva Regional News
• "EHS culinary program brings home championship title" - The Gainesville Sun

• Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which is comprised of 945,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a work force of 13 million employees. Together with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to lead America’s restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence and participation, enhancing the quality of life for all we serve. For more information, visit our Web site at www.restaurant.org.


• Nationwide, 78,000 students in 47 states, territories and districts are served by ProStart, a two-year curriculum 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, in conjunction with state restaurant associations. For more information on the ProStart program and National ProStart Invitational, please visit www.prostart.restaurant.org.