ProStart Curriculum Update

In order to be considered a ProStart school, you must be using the Foundations of Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts textbooks.  All FRLAEF opportunities are only available to schools utilizing Foundations including mini grants and competition.

ProStart Teacher Training Institute–Registration Ends This Month

Registration has begun for the 19th Annual ProStart Teacher Training Institute. CLICK HERE to register online. The ProStart Teacher Training Institute will take place at Johnson & Wales University (JWU) Miami campus. The registration deadline is April 17, 2015.

The ProStart Teacher Training Institute was developed to provide Florida ProStart instructors with the knowledge necessary to teach the ProStart curriculum.  The Teacher Training Institute is built around topics covered in the ProStart curriculum. At the conclusion of the week, attendees will feel more informed about how to teach the ProStart curriculum to their students. Click below for more details.

FOUR YEARS OF TRAINING

The ProStart Teacher Training Institute is divided into four years of participation.  The topics listed below are just a sampling of the material that will be covered.  A more detailed schedule of the week along with all of the class topics will be provided after the registration deadline.

First Year Attendees–cover Food Safety and Workplace Safety as well as Stocks and Cooking Techniques.
Second Year Attendees–take an in-depth look at Nutrition, Customer Service along with Meat, Poultry and Seafood.
Third Year Attendees–continue their ProStart Teacher Training experience by covering Marketing, Cost Control, along with Desserts and Baked Goods.
Fourth Year Attendees–emphasis on Baking & Pastry along with Entrepreneurship.

Due to limited space, only participants able to stay for the entire week may attend.  This includes participation in the CSFE exam after lunch on Friday.

TEACHER TRAINING EXAM REQUIREMENT
All Teacher Training attendees will take a NRAEF Summer Institute exam which is a requirement of the Certified Secondary Foodservice Educators (CSFE) Certification process.  The exam is 40 multiple choice questions and will be administered at Johnson & Wales University’s Miami Campus on June 26, 2015 following Friday lunch. The instructors that pass the exams become eligible to receive the CSFE after completing additional requirements.

LOCATION
All classes will be held at JWU North Miami campus, 1701 NE 127th Street, North Miami, Florida, which is located 20 minutes north of the Miami International Airport and 20 minutes south of the Ft. Lauderdale Airport. Detailed directions will be provided.

REQUIREMENTS
Participants must adhere to all JWU professional codes of sanitation and grooming. Each participant must wear chef pants (no jeans) as well as black, non-skid, hard toe shoes. If you have attended in the past, please bring your JWU knife kit.

PROGRAM COST
The FRLAEF, along with its sponsors, will cover the cost for all Florida ProStart instructors. This includes instruction, lodging, chef coat and take-home educational materials. Breakfast and lunch will be provided daily. All other meals are on your own. Accommodations are provided in the JWU dorms. You are welcome to stay off campus at your own expense.

If you will not be teaching the ProStart curriculum during the 2015-2016 school year, the cost for you to attend the ProStart Teacher Training Institute is $800.

TRANSPORTATION
Attendees are responsible for their own transportation to and from JWU.

FRLAEF Scholarship Awards

The FRLAEF awarded 22 scholarships during the Salute to Excellence Awards dinner on Saturday, February 28, 2015 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando. Each FRLAEF scholarship recipient will receive $2,000 to pursue a degree in culinary or hospitality. Scholarship recipients must return required documentation to the FRLAEF no later than June 19, 2015 in order to claim their scholarship. Details were provided in the scholarship award email, but contact us with any questions.

Chef’s Warehouse April Special

CW-special-April-2015

 

To order contact Luanna Skeens at Chef’s Warehouse: lskeens@chefs-warehouse.com

7200 W Colonial Drive • Orlando • FL • 32818 P: 407.294.0300 • F: 407.294.8565

Hospitality Industry Internships

The Hospitality Industry Internship (HII) provides the opportunity for Florida ProStart instructors to work in a foodservice establishment for at least 40 hours. At the completion of 40 work hours, the Hospitality Industry Internship participant will receive a check for $600 from the FRLAEF. Several ProStart teachers completed an HII during the 2014-2015 school year. Here are some of their experiences.

JAMES BRADWELL is the ProStart teacher at East Gadsden High School in Havana Florida. This is Bradwell’s second year teaching the ProStart curriculum. He worked at Marge’s Café in Quincy, Florida for his internship. While at Marge’s Café, he shadowed the Manager to learn day-to-day operations of the business. “This experience allows me to share first-hand with my students the role of a restaurant manager in the foodservice industry”, said Bradwell.

He is pictured at left with ProStart student Marcos Benitez. Marcos has enrolled in Keiser University and will be studying Culinary Arts. This is Bradwell’s first student to go to culinary school.

SUZANNE O’NEIL is the ProStart Teacher at South Tech Academy in Boynton Beach Florida. O’Neil is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. She has been teaching ProStart since 2007. O’Neil completed her HII at the Gulf Stream Bath & Tennis Club in Gulf Stream Florida. O’Neil says, “My experience working in the industry after many years of teaching was extremely educational.  I was able to work at a high-end club that spares no expense of what they offer their club members.  I worked with the finest ingredients in our area. This experience has helped my program tremendously.  Chef Don Sanders hired one of my ProStart students because of our relationship.  Chef  Sanders has been an outstanding asset to our program at South Tech Academy and has used many of his contacts to help our program at South Tech Academy.  For example, they received fresh whole fish to fillet and serve at our luncheons through one of the chef’s contacts.

PAM WILLIAMS is a ProStart Teacher at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Williams has taught high school Home Economics and Culinary Arts in Broward County for 38 years. (She must have been a child prodigy!) Her Internship took place at My Brothers Soul Food Takeout & Catering in Fort Lauderdale.  Williams worked in several areas of the business including catering set-up, food prep, cashier, hostess and expediter. Terrance Lemon, owner of My Brothers Soul Food said, “Chef Williams was a great addition to our establishment. She was especially helpful in assisting me with staffing and preparing them in the area of safety and sanitation.”

SCOTT GOODMAN is the ProStart teacher at JP Taravella High School in Coral Springs Florida. Goodman’s 2014 Management Competition team won first place at the Florida ProStart competition and advanced to the National ProStart Invitational. He completed his HII at Sysco Foods in Riviera Beach, Florida. His duties included menu analysis, food cost, product development, recipe building, and fish and meat fabrication. Goodman said, “While working at Sysco I had the opportunity to immerse myself in many areas. Because Sysco has numerous clients who come in looking for new ideas, I would be able to help them with menu costing, food cost, cooking new menu items, & product development. The knowledge I gained while at Sysco will allow me to bring new ideas and management techniques back to my students. I will also have the ability to bring these students to visit my work internship and show them how real clients develop their businesses through Sysco.”