Blythewood and Myrtle Beach Students Take Top Honors at 2010 Carolinas ProStart Student Invitational
February 2, 2010
BLYTHEWOOD & MYRTLE BEACH, SC – February 2, 2010 – High school students from Blythewood High School and North Myrtle Beach High School are bringing home the gold.
The students took first place honors at the 8th Annual Carolina’s ProStart Student Invitational in Myrtle Beach on Tuesday night. Blythewood High School’s team won first place in the state culinary arts contest and students from North Myrtle Beach High School won the restaurant management competition.
Thirty-three teams from twenty four high schools in North and South Carolina participated in the event at the Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel. The winning teams took home medals, trophies and over a million dollars in scholarships. The Blythewood and North Myrtle Beach high school teams will represent South Carolina at the 2010 National ProStart Invitational in Overland Park, Kansas April 10 – May 2.
“It was exciting to witness the talent, dedication and passion these students displayed during this intense two-day competition,” said Tom Sponseller, President and CEO of the South Carolina Hospitality Association. SCHA manages the ProStart program in South Carolina through its Tourism and Hospitality Education Foundation which puts on the annual high school competition.
Sponseller explained that the involvement of industry and post-secondary leaders sets the ProStart competition apart from other high school events. “The students are judged on industry standards, by some of the top people in the industry,” he said.
The International Culinary Schools at the Art Institute of Charleston sponsored the Culinary Cup; teams of up to four students have 60 minutes to prepare two identical gourmet meals using only two butane burners. They have no electricity, no running water and can use no pre-prepared ingredients.
The Restaurant Management Competition was presented by The University of South Carolina’s School of Hospitality, Retail, and Tourism Management. This exciting event is composed of a presentation of a restaurant concept the students have created, an intense questions and answer segment, and allotted time to display their concept on display boards for spectators to view; all judged by an exclusive panel of industry judges.
All of the students who participated in the event are enrolled in the ProStart program. ProStart is a two-year curriculum designed to teach high school students the management and culinary arts skills they need for a career in the restaurant and foodservice industry. ProStart currently serves more than 100,000 students in 48 states, districts and territories. More than 74 high schools in South Carolina offer the program to over 3,000 students. For more information about how you can get involved in ProStart contact Xavier Meier at (803) 765-9000.
Top 3 Culinary Cup Standings:
1. Blythewood High School, Teacher: William Turner
Students: Chloe Cincotta, Demonta Brown, Rickey Butler, Troy Richardson, Haley Gunter
2. Daniel Morgan Technology Center, Teacher: Tim Page
3. Wando High School, Teacher: Julian Buckner
Top 3 Restaurant Management Cup Standings:
1. North Myrtle Beach High School, Teacher: Connie Porter
Students: Andrew Powers, Caitlyn Neff, Brianna Graves, Andrea Rose, Katelyne LaFramboise
2. Blythewood High School, Teacher: William Turner
3. Clover High School, Teacher: Bou Baker
About ProStart
ProStart is a program of the National Restaurant Association’s Educational Foundation, and administered in South Carolina by the South Carolina Tourism & Hospitality Educational Foundation of the South Carolina Hospitality Association. The South Carolina Hospitality Association was formed in 1993 by the South Carolina Restaurant Association and the South Carolina Hotel & Lodging Association, which date back to 1947. The SCHA represents the restaurant and lodging industry of South Carolina and has chapters throughout the state.
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