By Janay Reece
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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Over 400 future star chefs took over Baltimore on Saturday for a National Culinary Cook-off.
Some of the nation’s top high school chefs and restaurateurs competed in the National ProStart Invitational (NPSI), where the next generation of taste makers won top titles, scholarships, and more.
“These students will be competing and preparing dishes that are absolutely world-class. Can be served in the finest restaurants in America,” Rob Gifford, the president of the National Restaurant Association’s Educational Foundation, said. “Integration of skills, the professional flair is extraordinary to watch.”
Maryland high schoolers land top three spots Over the last few weeks, students competed across the country at state competitions for the opportunity to participate in nationals.
Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) showcased its culinary excellence at the recent Maryland ProStart Student Invitational, sweeping the top three awards in a competition that featured the top eight teams from across the state.
“You know, we just kind of played around with things, and, you know, that helped us come up with our concept. And it really it’s so exciting to be able to come,” said Angela Adams, Northeast High School’s Culinary Instructor.
The Northeast High School team of Connor Bateman, IfeOluwa Olajide, Jairo Lopez, and M.J. Monforte claimed the top spot on the podium.
Teams from South River High School took the next two spots.
The quartet of Tania Gomez, Megan Preis, Camaya Wise, and Jackie Menjivar finished second, while Aileen Oshlo, Katherine Lippincott, and Rin Holly were third.
With over $200,000 in scholarships on the line, NPSI gives students a chance to one day kick off a career in culinary arts.
“It starts at this level, where you experience playing with food and different equipment, and then, you know, I think you can just grow from there,” Adams explained.
How does the competition work? The NPSI is broken up into two events:
Culinary Competition: Teams prepare a three-course meal in 60 minutes, with no running water or electricity. Management Competition: Teams pitch innovative restaurant concepts and tackle real-world business challenges. Resilience after the storm Each team came from different backgrounds and brought their own unique flair to the showcase.
Asheville High School (AHS) from North Carolina was severely impacted by Hurricane Helene and was forced to close for over a month for emergency operations. But the team never stopped ‘cooking’ up a plan.
“During the storm, whenever we were able to get back together and communicate, we had some tough conversations to see if this was something that we wanted to do, but actually, it gave us something to look forward to,” Chef Sara Monson, Asheville High School’s Culinary Instructor, told WJZ’s Janay Reece. “So it was a real bright spot in our school year.”
Now, the students have worked their way up to nationals to compete with their friends and show off their restaurant concept, using the positives of what came from the storm’s aftermath to inspire them to compete.
The Asheville team’s restaurant concept was called “Tempest” and was based on serving comfort food to customers.
Chef Stretch “Nuri,” who served as a competition judge this year, told WJZ that Prostart is the place where young chefs can unite, grow, and cook up something great.
“Just cook good food, and may the best chefs win. May the best team win. That would be my advice to the students now or anyone competing in the future,” Chef Stretch said.
“So many young people don’t understand that there are more than 70 different vocations that exist in the restaurant industry and unbelievable career paths that exist as well,” Rob Gifford added.
ProStart is a nationwide, two-year high school program that unites the classroom and the industry, cultivating the next generation of restaurant and foodservice leaders.
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