Quarter2
delawarerestaurant.org
9
“The state ProStart competitions are
the culmination of students’ hard
work and a chance to showcase
what they’ve learned,”
said Carrie Leishman, President & CEO
of the Delaware Restaurant Association.
“Now in its 14
th
year, the National ProStart
Invitational is a prestigious event in which
students from Delaware go head-to-head
against the best and brightest teams from
around the country. Students who have
competed at this level have gone on to
study at some of the country’s top culinary
and management schools and have forged
rewarding careers in the restaurant industry.”
ProStart is a nationwide career technical
education program where high-school
students learn from an industry-derived,
competency-based curriculum that teaches
culinary techniques and restaurant
management skills, coupled with real-life
restaurant sector experiences. In addition
to industry-specific skills, a majority of
ProStart students report learning critical
employability skills, including workplace
and professional behavior, communications
skills and teamwork. All ProStart students
are eligible to pursue the ProStart National
Certificate of Achievement, an industry-
recognized credential that requires the
passage of two national exams and the
completion of 400 hours of industry-
related work experience.
“ProStart has become a national model for
career technical education and continues
to be recognized for its industry-driven
curriculum and program design. ProStart
students represent the future of our
industry — young adults learning the skills
necessary to chart upwardly mobile, long-
term career paths in the industry,” said
Rob Gifford, executive vice president,
strategic operations and philanthropy
for the National Restaurant Association
and the National Restaurant Association
Educational Foundation. “We congratulate
students from Delaware and look forward
to seeing themdemonstrate their remarkable
talent in Anaheim in April.”
Total restaurant and food service
employment is projected to grow by over
14 percent in the next 10 years, adding
over 6,600 jobs in Delaware alone. The
Delaware Restaurant Association is committed
to ensuring the development of a highly-
trained and professional talent pool through
scholarships and educational programs
such as ProStart, and has recently formed
the Delaware Restaurant Association
Educational Foundation to foster these
industry education initiatives. Additionally,
the ProStart Program has been identified
as one of the five selected programs that
make up Governor Markell’s “Pathways to
Prosperity” education initiative, aimed at
youthdevelopment, job skills, andplacement
for students in key thriving industries.
Cover Story
{
Meghan Gardner, Delaware ProStart Mentor, who traveled with the students to the
National Competition:
“I was lucky to be able to travel with them to Nationals
this year. I watched as students from around the country met and spoke about
future goals and plans. These young people are already forming the types of
networking relationships that they will maintain throughout their careers.”
Students from William Penn High School present
their dishes to judges in the Delaware ProStart Student Invitational
The Management Team from Cape Henlopen High
School presented their restaurant concept to judges
at the Delaware ProStart Student Invitational
