ORLAEF'S PROSTART INVITATIONAL
SPONSORED BY SYSCO

Sunday, March 18, 2018 | Salem Convention Center
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Every spring students put their skills to the ultimate test at the ORLAEF’s ProStart® Invitational, the capstone event for the career and technical education (CTE) foodservice training program, ProStart. The following schools worked hard and brought their best to this year’s competition; Bend, Crook County, Grants Pass, McMinnville, McNary, Mountain View, North Salem, Pendleton, Roseburg, South Salem and Willamette.
 
Top placing teams in each category, culinary and management, received a share of the $675,000 in scholarships awarded. First place teams earned a spot at National ProStart Invitational where Willamette H.S. culinary team placed 6th out of 48 and Bend H.S. management team scored 26th out of 46!  Read more on this year's state event.

A big congratulations to the 2018 Oregon winners!
Management Competition
​Culinary Competition 
Additional Awards
About the Event
High school ProStart teams from across Oregon gather to compete in two distinct events: the Culinary Competition and the Management Competition. Winning teams from these events move on to compete at the National ProStart Invitational.
  • Management Competition - Teams develop a concept for a new restaurant and present it to judges from industry and post-secondary education. Students are evaluated on their concept, marketing strategies, menu, recipes and food costs, operations and critical thinking skills.
  • Culinary Competition - Teams develop a unique menu for a three-course meal, complete with recipes and food costs, and prepare that meal in 60 minutes using two butane burners—with no electricity or running water. They are evaluated on their menu, degree of difficulty, food safety and sanitation, knife skills, cooking procedures, food costing, teamwork, taste and presentation of their meal.
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Competition Rewards 
The top three teams in each competition receive awards and scholarships to further their careers in the restaurant and foodservice industry. The team placing first in each competition receives sponsorship from ORLAEF to help with the expenses of attending the National ProStart Invitational in Providence, Rhode Island. 

A total of $675,000.00 in scholarships were awarded to students at the 2018 invitational, provided by:
New England Culinary Institute, Culinary Institute of Virginia, Johnson and Wales, Louisiana Culinary Institute, The Culinary Institute of America, The Art Institute, and Oregon Coast Culinary Institute.
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The event is produced by ORLA’s Education Foundation and made possible by the generous contributions of the sponsors below.
​​Title Sponsor
Major Sponsor
Champion Sponsors
Student Star Sponsor
Sponsored by Sysco​
QUICK LINKS
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2018 Invitational
​- Schedules & Resources
​- Competition Rules
​- Judge's Application
​- Oregon ProStart Awards

Additional Links
​- About ProStart®
​- ProStart News
- Support ORLAEF
​- Event Photos
​- Past Champions
​- 2017 Invitational
​​- Podcast: ORLAEF and ProStart
- Sponsorship Opportunities '18
“ProStart students learn skills - such as teamwork, communication, and decision making - that are important to success in any career they choose to pursue. They also gain a tremendous amount of self-confidence. This event is their capstone project, and it is as exciting to watch as any sports tournament.”
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– Wendy Popkin, Executive Director, ORLAEF
School Sponsor
  • ​Togather Restaurant Consultants

Product Sponsors
In-Kind Sponsors
  • Johnson Controls
  • The Grand Hotel
  • Hampton Inn by Hilton
  • Phoenix Inn
  • Salem Convention Center