Eleven Georgia high school teams traveled to Duluth on Thursday, February 29, 2024, for a statewide competition focused on culinary arts and restaurant management to win scholarships, top honors and more at the Georgia ProStart Invitational. Gwinnett County Public Schools’ Berkmar High School and Meadowcreek High School took home top honors and will represent Georgia at the premier national high school culinary arts and restaurant management competition in Baltimore, MD, on April 26-28. These schools will join over 92 teams from across the country to vie for the top high school culinary and restaurant management honors as well as almost $200,000 in scholarships to support their future aspirations in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Additionally, chef Phillip Garrett of Grayson Technical Education Program was named the Georgia ProStart Educator of Excellence for his demonstrated excellence in the classroom.

While at the 2024 National ProStart Invitational (NPSI) in Baltimore, MD, the culinary team from Berkmar High School and management team from Meadowcreek High School will join nearly 400 students to put their skills to the test in front of culinary and restaurant business leaders, family and friends. The three-day event will feature an opening ceremony, two days of powerful culinary and restaurant management competition and an awards dinner. The top five teams from the culinary and management competitions will earn coveted scholarships to continue their restaurant or foodservice education.

“The future is looking so bright for the culinary industry, the amount of talent in Georgia is incredible”, said Stephanie Fischer, GRA President + CEO. “I couldn’t be prouder to have Berkmar High School and Meadowcreek High School representing Georgia and competing at the national level in Baltimore. I’m so excited to cheer them on.”

Supported by the Georgia Restaurant Association, ProStart is a high school program that gives students interested in foodservice and hospitality careers a head start by teaching culinary techniques and management skills through an industry-driven curriculum. Upon successful completion of the ProStart program, students receive an industry-recognized certificate, and employers get well-prepared, enthusiastic employees.

This exciting competition showcases the talents and classroom skills of ProStart students from high schools across the nation. Students must impress judges from leading industry corporations, colleges and universities with skills they’ve developed through ProStart. The NPSI is composed of two distinct competitions: culinary and management. 

The culinary competition highlights each team’s creative abilities through the preparation of a three-course meal in 60 minutes, using only two butane burners and without access to running water or electricity. Students are evaluated on taste, skill, teamwork, safety and sanitation. Management teams develop a proposal for the next promising restaurant concept and present it to a panel of industry judges. Their problem-solving skills are tested as they quickly solve challenges faced by managers daily.

The top five teams from the culinary and management competitions are awarded generous educational scholarships to help further their careers in the restaurant and foodservice industry. In 2023, more than $200,000 in scholarships were awarded to winning students. 

In addition to a week of intense contests among the nation’s top culinary students, NPSI also will announce the 2024 recipients of the ProStart Educator of Excellence Awards (EEA), which recognize exceptional ProStart educators in their classrooms. Each participating state restaurant association nominates its leading educator who has demonstrated a strong commitment to his or her students and the ProStart program. This year’s EEA winners will be announced, along with three honorees in the categories of Classroom Expertise, Best Practice and Knowledge Sharing and Industry Connections. The National Restaurant Association Education Foundation (NRAEF) also will reveal the recipient of the James H. Maynard Teacher of the Year Award, recognizing one EEA winner for their tireless dedication to providing remarkable experiences to their ProStart students.

For more information on the ProStart program, visit ChooseRestaurants.org/ProStart.