Edmond North High School, Edmond Santa Fe High School Win Oklahoma State Championship in Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management, Advance to Nationals

Edmond Students will travel to Baltimore next to compete for coveted national title and $200,000 in scholarships from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

Oklahoma City, OK – February 23, 2024 – Teams from Edmond North High School and Edmond Santa Fe High School earned their spot among the next generation of restaurant innovators and culinarians when they captured the Ben E. Keith Oklahoma ProStart Student Invitational. With their win, the students will travel to Baltimore to compete in the national championship in April.

 Congratulations to our winners:
1st Place Culinary – Edmond North High School
1st Place Management – Edmond Santa Fe High School 

Both teams represent Oklahoma’s best and brightest culinary and restaurant management students and were awarded Scholarships from the Culinary Institute of America. As state champions, they will move on to compete at the 2024 National ProStart Invitational, to be held April 26-28 in Baltimore, where they will face off against fellow winning teams from nearly all 50 states. The top five teams in each national competition category will then take home a combined $200,000 in scholarships to support their future careers.
 
Congratulations to our 2nd place winners:
2nd Place Culinary – Francis Tuttle Technology Center
2nd Place Management – Edmond North High School  

Thank you to the partner of the 2024 Ben E. Keith Oklahoma Prostart Student Invitational! Ben E. Keith, Oklahoma ProStart National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, Metro Tech, The Culinary Institute of America, Bryan Close, GoFresh, ECOLAB, and Superior Linen Service.
 
ProStart is a nationwide high school career and technical education program from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation that reaches nearly 165,000 students at almost 1,850 schools each year – equipping them with the restaurant industry’s best two-year Certified Training and Education Program to jumpstart their culinary careers while still in high school. Over the last 24 years, over 1 million high school students nationwide have received career-building training through ProStart’s curriculum, which merges hands on restaurant and culinary experience with classroom instruction.
 
Across Oklahoma, there are 24 technology centers or high schools with ProStart curriculum with over 1200 students enrolled in one or two-year programs.
 
It’s such a great privilege to host an event like this that shines a light on the developing talent. It’s here we see real-world skills demonstrated at the ProStart Student Invitational, said Roberta Helsley, Director of Workforce Development and Education at the ORA. “Across Oklahoma, management and culinary skills are honed in the classroom that will lead to jobs in restaurants, hotels and entertainment attractions.  It’s extremely gratifying to help students reach their goals, working in Oklahoma’s hospitality industry.” We are supported by many of Oklahoma’s premiere restaurateurs and chefs as ProStart judges and mentors. Our team always receives great feedback from these volunteers and the caliber of students who participate in the ProStart competition,“ continued Helsley.
 
“I am always inspired by the dedication and innovation that ProStart teams display during competition. ProStart’s true strength lies in the skills students take away from it, which will benefit them throughout life – no matter where they work. I’m truly excited to welcome these champions to Baltimore in April,” said Rob Gifford, president of the NRAEF.
 
For more information on the ProStart® program, visit ChooseRestaurants.org/ProStart or find us on X or Facebook.
 
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About ProStart®
ProStart®, a nationwide, two-year high school career and technical education program uniting the classroom and restaurant industry, reaches nearly 165,000 students at almost 1,850 high schools throughout all states, the District of Columbia and Guam. ProStart gives students a platform to discover and develop new interests and talents, while teaching employability skills like teamwork, professional behavior, time management and communication.
 
About the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF)
As the supporting philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the NRAEF’s charitable mission includes enhancing the industry’s training and education, career development, and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract, Empower, and Advance today’s and tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart® – a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready/HOPES – Partnering with community based organizations to provide people with skills training and job opportunities; Military – helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships – financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and the Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center (RHLC) – accredited apprenticeship programs designed to build the careers of service professionals. For more information on the NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org. Click here for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s 2022 Annual Impact Report.