teacher training
P
roStart’s annual teacher training was held Nov. 18 in Santa
Fe, NM at the Santa Fe Culinary Academy, with a networking
dinner the night before. There were 28 teachers in attendance
from high schools across the state.
The training consisted of ProStart regulation and competition
updates as well as guest speakers. Jason Carmel is the business
development manager for MERCER knives and is also a National
ProStart competition culinary judge. He came to NM specifically for
the ProStart teacher training. Along with informing the teachers on
the importance of knife size and safety, he also demonstrated how
students will be judged during the knife skills section of competition.
The students at the Santa Fe Culinary Academy were learning
about fabricating seafood and prepared a delicious meal for the
class of salmon and compound butter, spinach mashed potatoes
and vegetables. The food was donated to the teacher training by
Shamrock Foods. The last part of the day included a tour of the
Academy by co-founder, Rocky Durham, as well as a question and
answer session with ProStart coordinator Victoria Sanchez Martinez.
New Mexico has 37 full ProStart high schools with over 1,900 students.
ProStart is a two-year educational program supported by the National
Restaurant Association Educational Foundation in partnership with
state restaurant associations. The career-building program 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. For more information on the ProStart
program, visit
.
ProStart Teacher Training
16 New Mexico Restaurant Association
