The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association Educational Foundation (FRLAEF) proudly announced the winners of its recent statewide high school hospitality competitions — the ProStart Culinary Team Competition and the Hospitality & Tourism Management (HTM) Competition.
On the weekend of March 8 and 9, 400 students from over 40 Florida high schools competed in Culinary, Management, Edible Centerpiece and Waiter’s Relay events at the 24th annual ProStart event. At the Salute to Excellence Award ceremony, winners received scholarships from the Culinary Institute of America, Culinary Institute of Virginia, Florida International University, Keiser University, Nicholls State University, and the University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Rosen College of Hospitality. Culinary competition winners also earned full scholarships to Hillsborough Culinary Academies at Erwin Technical College. First place teams in culinary and management will represent Florida at the National ProStart Invitational.
“We are incredibly proud of the talent and dedication shown by these students during the 24th annual ProStart and HTM events,” said Laura Rumer, director of the FRLAEF. “These competitions highlight their skills and passion for the industry. It’s inspiring to see so many receive scholarships and recognition for their hard work. Congratulations to all the winners, and we look forward to seeing them represent Florida at the National ProStart Invitational in Washington, D.C., this May.”
“As the state’s top industry, hospitality is at the heart of Florida’s economy, and these high school students are its future,” said Carol Dover, president and CEO of the FRLA. “We are thrilled to support their growth through programs like ProStart and HTM, which provide them with the skills and opportunities needed to succeed in this dynamic field. With the largest ProStart program nationwide and the unique distinction of being the only state to host a statewide HTM contest, we remain committed to nurturing the next generation of industry leaders. Their talent and passion give us great confidence in the future of Florida’s hospitality industry. We are proud to invest in these young leaders and look forward to seeing the incredible contributions they will make to our industry for years to come.”
These events would not be possible without the support of the FRLAEF’s global sponsors: Keiser University, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality and Universal Orlando. Event sponsors include Disney Culinary, Ecolab, Florida Atlantic University and Zwilling J.A. Henckels.
Locally, Strawberry Crest High School students, under the direction of their instructor, Paul Bonanno, won in several categories of the 24th annual Florida ProStart Competition.
In the Overall Winners category, Bonanno and his students received second place.
In the Keiser University Culinary Competition, Rubicel Lopez, Jadira Ipanaque, Savannah Heist, Sophia Reyes and Riley Clark took first place.
In the UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management Competition, Faye Lee, Juliana Kelly, Toby Highsmith, Reagan Westberry and Christina Molina-Contreras took second place.
In the Universal Orlando Edible Centerpiece Competition, Marie Townsel took second place.
Thanks to winning first place in the culinary competition, the Strawberry Crest team will advance to the National ProStart Invitational in May.
For more information about ProStart, HTM or FRLA’s Educational Foundation, visit https://frla.org/educational-foundation/ or contact Rumer at lrumer@frla.org.
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