Delaware Restaurateur

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f e a t u r e
demonstrate their remarkable talent in
Texas in May.”
The culinary competition highlights
the creative abilities of each team as
they prepare a three-course meal in 60
minutes, using only two butane burners
with no access to running water or
electricity. Teams are evaluated on taste,
teamwork, safety and sanitation, among
other skills. Management teams develop
a business proposal for an original
restaurant concept and present it to a
panel of industry judges, who challenge
them to address the issues restaurant
managers face on a daily basis.
“The state ProStart competitions are the
culmination of students’ hard work and a
chance to showcase what they’ve learned,”
said Carrie Leishman, President & CEO
of the Delaware Restaurant Association.
“Now in its 15th year, the National ProStart
Invitational is a prestigious event in
which students from Delaware go head-
to-head against the best and brightest
teams from around the country. Students
who have competed at this level have
gone on to study at some of the country’s
top culinary and management schools
and have forged rewarding careers in the
restaurant industry.”
Total restaurant and food service
employment is projected to grow by over
14 percent over the next 10 years, adding
over 6,600 jobs in Delaware alone. The
Delaware Restaurant Association is
committed to ensuring the development
of a highly-trained and professional
talent pool through scholarships and
educational programs such as ProStart,
and has recently formed the Delaware
Restaurant Association Educational
Foundation to foster these industry
education initiatives. Additionally, the
ProStart Program has been identified
as one of the ten selected programs that
make up Governor Markell’s “Pathways
to Prosperity” education initiative,
aimed at youth development, job skills,
and placement for students in key
thriving industries.