Note for Media: photos available for individual schools and winning teams
ORLANDO – The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association Educational Foundation (FRLAEF) proudly announces the winners of its recent statewide high school hospitality competitions – the ProStart Culinary Team Competition and the Hospitality & Tourism Management Competition.
Last weekend, 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 UCF’s 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 in Washington, D.C. this May.
“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 FRLA Educational Foundation. “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 Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (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 our Global Sponsors: Keiser University, 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.
24th ANNUAL FLORIDA PROSTART COMPETITION WINNERS:
OVERALL WINNERS
1st Place Martin County High School (Stuart): Instructor Shaun Southwick
2nd Place Strawberry Crest High School (Dover): Instructor Paul Bonanno
3rd Wekiva High School (Apopka): Instructor Christopher Bates
4th TIE South Lake High School (Groveland): Instructor John Thunberg
4th TIE Fort Pierce Central High School (Fort Pierce): Instructor Jesse Strell
5th TIE George Jenkins High School (Lakeland): Instructor Sherry Scott
5th TIE Lyman High School (Longwood): Instructor Dane Brevoort
KEISER UNIVERSITY CULINARY COMPETITION
1st Place Strawberry Crest High School (Dover): Rubicel Lopez, Jadira Ipanaque, Savannah Heist, Sophia Reyes, and Riley Clark, Instructor Paul Bonanno
2nd Place Wekiva High School (Apopka): Erika Giraldo, Nowah James, Diego German-Quen, Jasmine Thomas, and David Maldonado, Instructor Christopher Bates
3rd Place Martin County High School (Stuart): Ethan Berrios, Constantino Padovano, Chris Clingan, and Sarah Duda, Instructor Shaun Southwick
4th Place Lake Minneola High School (Minneola): Rocco Brown, Daijah Charles, Nathaly Sierralta, Matthew Loayza, and Noah Hammond, Instructor Nick Sandora
5th Place JP Taravella High School (Coral Springs): Arianna Carter, Rihanna Cole, Gabriella Medina Perafan, and Luna Vasquez, Instructor Scott Goodman
UCF ROSEN COLLEGE OF HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT COMPETITION
1st Place Wekiva High School (Apopka): Onyx Castillo, Zariah Edwards, Isaac Aristud, Aubrey Pugh, Instructor Christopher Bates
2nd Place Strawberry Crest High School (Dover): Faye Lee, Juliana Kelly, Toby Highsmith, Reagan Westberry, and Christina Molina-Contreras, Instructor Paul Bonanno
3rd Place Martin County High School (Stuart): Jameer Lewin, Claire Richter, Zoey Krisel, Olivia Da Cunha, and Jennifer Sanchez, Instructor Shaun Southwick
4th Place Miami Lakes Educational Center (Miami Lakes): Paula Muniz, Ryan Anderson, Kyle Perez, and Wester Mordan, Instructor David Nunez
5th Place Coral Springs High School (Coral Springs): Brady Porter, Aubrey Vance, Evan Bittman, David Puello, and Cole Clap, Instructor Aruna Lien
UNIVERSAL ORLANDO EDIBLE CENTERPIECE COMPETITION
1st Place Bryar Stoney, Martin County High School
2nd Place Marie Townsel, Strawberry Crest High School
3rd Place Steven Twiss, George Jenkins High School
4th Place Ava Caldwell, Lyman High School
5th Place TIE Mischa Davies, South Lake High School
5th Place TIE Kyle Conti, JP Taravella High School
WAITERS RELAY COMPETITION
1st Place Martin County High School (Stuart): Ella Carbaugh, Davis Scott, and Colin Blackwell, Instructor Shaun Southwick
2nd Place Fort Pierce Central High School (Fort Pierce): Wyatt Roberts, Lily Dowdy, and Peyton Black, Instructor Jesse Strell
3rd Place South Lake High School (Groveland): Ryder Eckert, Isabel Acensio, Evan Greblick, Instructor John Thunberg
4th Place Dunnellon High School (Dunnellon): Brayden Sain, Olyvia Hanchar, and Addison Perkins, Instructor Melissa Mosby
5th Place Lyman High School (Longwood): Samuel Sargent, Ramon Raven-Vidal, and Alejandro Diaz, Instructor Dane Brevoort
ProStart is a nationwide high school career program educating nearly 150,000 students in culinary arts and restaurant management skills. Florida’s ProStart program is the largest in the nation with approximately 30,000 students enrolled annually. ProStart’s industry-driven curriculum provides real-world educational opportunities and sets a high standard of excellence for the industry’s next generation of leaders. Yearly, students compete on state and nation-wide levels to showcase skills learnt in their classroom kitchens.
21st ANNUAL HTM COMPETITION WINNERS:
Students participating in the recently held 21st Annual Hospitality & Tourism Management (HTM) Competition did so in categories including Hotel Operations, Hospitality Project, and the Knowledge Bowl. Winners were awarded scholarships from the FRLA Educational Foundation and Florida International University. Florida is the only state to host a statewide competition for the HTM program.
OVERALL WINNERS
1st Place Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland): Instructor Mitchell Albert
2nd Place Colonial High School (Orlando): Instructor Antoniella Paradiso
3rd Place Osceola High School (Kissimmee): Instructor Valerie Woodring
HOTEL OPERATIONS COMPETITION
1st Place Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland): Haylee Dorman, Nicole Robinson, Saya Greiner, Maddison Schapiro, Instructor Mitchell Albert
2nd Place Olympia High School (Orlando): Audrey Heaton, Isabel Miller, Karly Sollars, Instructor Kristina Bryant
3rd Place Colonial High School (Orlando): Lourde Metelus, Miabella Llauger, Mia Farias Rios, Makai Randall, Instructor Antoniella Paradiso
HOSPITALITY PROJECT COMPETITION
1st Place Colonial High School (Orlando): Lourde Metelus, Miabella Llauger, Mia Farias Rios, Makai Randall, Instructor Antoniella Paradiso
2nd Place Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland): Haylee Dorman, Nicole Robinson, Saya Greiner, Maddison Schapiro, Instructor Mitchell Albert
3rd Place Horizon High School (Winter Garden): Hunter Baucom, Nathan Wing, Carmen Tucker, Annabella Maiguel, Instructor Kate Restifo
KNOWLEDGE BOWL COMPETITION
1st Place Colonial High School (Orlando): Lourde Metelus, Miabella Llauger, Mia Farias Rios, Makai Randall, Instructor Antoniella Paradiso
2nd Place Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland): Haylee Dorman, Nicole Robinson, Saya Greiner, Maddison Schapiro, Instructor Mitchell Albert
3rd Place Robert Morgan Educational Center (Miami): Destinee Rodgers, Julia Felipe-Careaga, Daylin Gomez, Samyra White; Instructor Alina Hughes
The Hospitality & Tourism Management program (HTM) is a high school curriculum that introduces 2,000 Florida students to the hospitality and tourism industry each year. HTM presents the industry on a global scale with a large focus on diversity. Most importantly, this curriculum is industry driven as evidenced by the fact that more than 60 industry leaders served as subject matter experts, ensuring that today’s program matches the needs of hospitality employers across the world. Each year, Florida’s HTM students compete at the state level to showcase the skills they have learned in the classroom.
For more information about ProStart, HTM, or FRLA’s Educational Foundation, visit our webpage or contact Director Laura Rumer at LRumer@frla.org.
About the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) is Florida’s premier non-profit hospitality industry trade association. Founded in 1946 as the Florida Restaurant Association, FRLA merged with the Florida Hotel and Motel Association in 2006. FRLA’s more than 10,000 members include independent hoteliers and restaurateurs, household name franchises, theme parks, and suppliers. The association’s mission is to protect, educate, and promote Florida’s $111.7 billion hospitality industry which represents nearly two million employees. Dedicated to safeguarding the needs of its membership, FRLA provides legislative advocacy to ensure the voices of its members are heard and their interests are protected. The association offers regulatory compliance and food safety training through SafeStaff® and FRLA’s subsidiary, RCS Training. The FRLA Educational Foundation provides industry-developed, career-building high school programs throughout the state.
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