UPDATE: Texas ProStart Competition Results

UPDATE: Monday, February 23, 2015

The results of the 2015 Texas ProStart Conroe Regional Competition held at the Lone Star Convention Center this past Friday and Saturday, are as follows:

Management Winners:

1st Rockwall High School

2nd New Caney High School

3rd The Guthrie Center

4th Wylie High School

5th South San Antonio High School

6th Hallsville High School



Culinary Winners:

1st Rockwall High School

2nd Foster High School

3rd The Guthrie Center

4th Davis High School

5th Round Rock High School

6th Carl Wunsche Sr. High School

Congratulations to New Caney High School who will compete in the Texas state competition in March!



ORIGINAL STORY:

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas - If your idea of a thrilling competition includes high heat, scalding pressure, and caramelized onions, Texas ProStart Invitational Competition is the place for you. Over 175 high-school-aged culinary and restaurant-management students will pour into the Lonestar Convention and Expo Center in Conroe, Tex. on Saturday, Feb. 21 to go apron-to-apron on the convention floor. Students have prepared and practiced all year for the chance to prove who’s best in the kitchen, earn a berth in the Texas state ProStart final in March, and go on to represent Texas at the national level.

“It is just amazing what these kids come up with,” says Wendy Saari, vice president of marketing and communications for the Texas Restaurant Association. “Picture a ballroom with 12 U-shaped tables. There are five kids on each team and all they have to work with is two individual propane burners. They have no power equipment. We have seen teams build ovens on top of burners so they can bake cakes or make spun-sugar desserts. If you like sizzling, a little smoke, and incredible cooking, this is the place for you.”

The competition runs from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with teams funneling in and out of the convention floor all day. The prime competitive hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the afternoon, when teams rotate through the hall and crowds gather to see what the young chefs can create in 60 minutes’ time.

Participants prepare a three-course meal based on months of practice. Their creations are evaluated by a panel of judges for creativity, plate presentation, taste, teamwork, professionalism, as well as safety and sanitation. In years past, the next generation of celebrity chefs whipped up menus that included ancho-crusted tenderloin of beef with a red-wine reduction; pan-fried, pecan-studded snapper on a bed of Boston bibb and radicchio salad; and a dessert duo of mini truffle cake and decadent chocolate cake with raspberry cream, chocolate ganache and raspberry coulis.

“ProStart is an absolutely phenomenal program, and we do a good deal of fundraising to support its efforts to give young people in Montgomery County an unparalleled education as well as real-life food-service experience,” says Terry McBurney, president of the Greater Montgomery County Restaurant Association. “We arm them with a skill set that allows them to jump into one of the biggest industries in the country right out of high school.”

Youth from 13 schools will also compete in a restaurant management competition. Reminiscent of the TV show “Shark Tank,” the management competition showcases high schoolers’ entrepreneurial innovation and presents them with real-life challenges. Groups present their vision for a restaurant concept—including their target audience, menu, pricing and profit margins, staffing and restaurant design—and are tested on their critical thinking skills as judges provide them with complex management scenarios.

Culinary judges include Roger Kaplan from Restaurant Innovation and Steve Swofford from the Culinary Institute of America. Restaurant-management judges include Tim Dugan of Brinker, Mike Shine from the Texas Food Group and Jay Goldstein from the Fish City Grill.

“It is like the Superbowl for these kids,” Saari says. “They prepare as long and hard as football players for these competitions.”

For more information on the Texas ProStart Culinary Arts program, visit www.restaurantville.com/foundation/competitions. To learn more about the Greater Montgomery County Restaurant Association, go towww.gmcra.org.