We celebrate our 100th episode honoring and exploring ProStart, a program of the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation (NRAEF). ProStart is a career and technical education program that unites the foodservice industry and the classroom to teach high school students culinary techniques and restaurant management principles through real-life experiences, as well as practical skills such as communication, teamwork, professionalism and time management. ProStart is a nationwide (including Guam and D.C.) that reaches approximately 130,000 students in more than 1700 high schools. ProStart student teams from across the country demonstrate their business acumen and culinary skill at state competitions. Winning teams earn scholarships, honors and the opportunity to compete against the very best teams from other states at the National ProStart Invitational. ProStart has impressively awarded over $1 million in scholarships and individual grants. The ProStart judging and culinary educator panel discuss their unwavering passion for the organization, share their personal experiences, and how the students have inspired them.
Our panel includes Emily Williams Knight, President and CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association and Education Foundation; Mark Molinaro, Interim Executive Director and Senior Lecturer at Northern Arizona University's School of Hotel and Restaurant Management; Matthew Welsch, also known as the Vagabond Chef, owner of Vagabond Kitchen; Rebecca Giedosh-Ruge, ProStart Educator at Mat-Su Career and Technical High School; and Yves Chambaz, ProStart Educator at J. Sterling Morton East High School. Thank you all for being part of this.
