2022-2023 ProStart Opportunities
The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association Educational Foundation (FRLAEF) offers events, activities, monetary support as well as teacher and student support for your ProStart program. The FRLAEF believes participation in these activities can lead to a richer learning environment for you and your students. Events and opportunities are listed throughout the August NewsBites below.
ProStart School Classification
At the beginning of each school year the FRLAEF asks schools to commit to their level of participation in the ProStart program. There are three levels of participation: PREMIER, FU
LL and CURRICULUM ONLY.
PREMIER LEVEL
The FRLAEF will determine which schools qualify as Premier schools based on the benchmarks the school met during the 2021-2022 school year. In order to be classified as a Premier school this year, the program must have done the required work during the previous school year. Schools that achieve Premier status receive a stipend for $750.
Schools may work to qualify for Premier status until the 2022 paperwork deadline, which typically means having students earn the ProStart Certificate of Achievement. If you have students you believe can earn the COA, please let us know and we can walk you through the process.
FULL OR CURRICULUM ONLY
Schools that have not earned the Premier level for the upcoming school year may choose between the Full and Curriculum Only classification. Schools that achieve Full status receive a stipend for $300.
PARTICIPATION COMMITMENT
The FRLAEF will send an email to all ProStart schools containing classification details including which level of classification a school may achieve based on their participation from last year. Please read through the details of the classification carefully to determine if you will be able to meet the requirements before committing. In order to be classified at any level, you must have and be using both the Level One and Level Two Foundations textbooks.
If the FRLAEF does not receive your commitment form by September 23, 2022, the FRLAEF will assume your school is a Curriculum Only program. This is an ANNUAL contract.
Mini Grants
The FRLAEF is offering $80,000 in Mini Grant funding to Premiere and Full Florida ProStart schools this year. There is no
fixed amount for individual grant awards, but to assist your planning, the average award last year was $700.
There are two prerequisites for grant funding: 1) you must currently teach the ProStart curriculum, and 2) you must be a Premier or Full ProStart school.
The FRLAEF Board of Directors prefers to fund items that will make your classroom self-sustaining or equipment that will be used frequently throughout the year. The board WILL NOT APPROVE most electronics to include printers, computers, iPads, and digital cameras. They also do not typically approve field trips, curriculum (to include ServSafe and SafeStaff) and transportation. Please include a good explanation of how the item will be used in the classroom as this is your justification for the purchase. If you are new to Mini Grants, please let us know what questions you have!
The application deadline is Friday, September 23, 2022.
CLICK HERE for the online Mini Grant application.
GRANT AWARD NOTIFICATION: The FRLAEF Board will meet in early October to determine awards.
FRLAEF Regional Workshops–Registration Now Open!
The FRLAEF is offering six Regional Workshops this fall. ProStart teachers may bring up to five students to each event. There is no fee to attend a Regional Workshop. Lunch and chef coats will be 
given to all participating ProStart students at each event. Travel to and from Regional Workshops is at your own expense.
If Regional Workshops reach maximum capacity prior to the deadline, all subsequent schools will be placed on the waiting list. Most events begin at 8:30 am and conclude no later than 2:00 pm.
The UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality events are scheduled for September 29, October 13 and November 10. Each UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality event will feature a mystery basket competition for the students along with educational sessions featuring chefs from Universal Orlando and Darden.
Keiser University events are scheduled for October 5 in Melbourne, October 7 in Tallahassee, and October 14 in Sarasota. The agendas have not been finalized but historically the students have spent the entire time working in the Keiser kitchens.
Please do not register for more than one event. We only have space for first-time attendees at each event, so register for the event you are most interested in attending. If you are interested in another event, let us know and we will send you the link for the Waiting List.
CLICK HERE for the Regional Workshop page with details and registrations links for each event.
Extreme ProStart Kitchen Makeover
The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association Educational Foundation (FRLAEF) is pleased to announce it will be providing one kitchen remodel grant to a Florida ProStart high school. In order to be eligible for the grant, you must be a Premier ProStart program and teaching the ProStart curriculum during the upcoming 2022-2023 school year.
The FRLAEF is investing $50,000 into one Premier Florida ProStart school to provide much needed funds to renovate a kitchen facility. These funds are for use in a ProStart class only. Use of this funding to enhance programs outside of the ProStart curriculum is prohibited.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: September 30, 2022
GRANT AWARD NOTIFICATION: October 2022
Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show
After a two-year hiatus, the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show will take place with a new look in a new location. This year’s show will be held November 2 and 3 at the Caribe Royale Resort located 
in Orlando and ProStart and HTM teachers receive complimentary admission. To access your complimentary admission, COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING REGISTRATION no later than October 17, 2022.
WHAT IS THE STUDENT ADMISSION POLICY FOR STUDENTS UNDER 18?
No students under the age of 18 will be allowed onto the show floor. There will be no exception to this rule.
WHAT IS THE STUDENT ADMISSION POLICY FOR STUDENTS 18 AND OVER?
The Show Student Admission Policy for students 18 and over is as follows, and will be strictly enforced. This is the same admission policy for post-secondary students. No more than 10 students may attend per educational institution, with every five students requiring one adult/educator chaperone to accompany them throughout the Show. Groups must follow a one-chaperone to five-student ratio while in the Exhibit Hall. Groups of more than six will be asked by Show Management to split into smaller groups. All student registrations must be submitted at the same time in an Excel spreadsheet with the following information: student or chaperone name, title (for chaperones only), school name, mailing address, and email address for each registrant for confirmation letters. The Student Admission rate is $30 per person and a valid student ID along with proof of age is required at the time of badge pick-up. No badges will be mailed in advance. Student/chaperone registration lists and payment information may be submitted to Brittany Gordon at brittany.gordon@clarionevents.com. Please note: if our maximum student allotment is exceeded, student registration will be closed.
For more information about the FRL Show, click here.
ProStart Culinary Team Competitions
The 22nd Annual ProStart Culinary Team Competitions will take place Saturday, March 4–Sunday, March 5, 2023 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando.
On Saturday, March 4, most of the Culinary Teams and Management Teams will compete along with all Edible Centerpiece teams. On Sunday, March 5, the remaining Culinary and Management 
teams will compete along with all of the Waiter’s Relay Teams. The competition will be followed by an awards dinner at the Rosen Plaza Hotel.
STIPEND FOR COMPETING SCHOOLS The FRLAEF will provide stipends to offset the cost of participating in the event. Participating schools will receive $250 per event in which they compete.
RULES The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) has not released the rules for the Culinary and Management Competitions. Since Florida’s Culinary and Management Competitions mirror the national rules, we cannot release Florida’s competition rules until NRAEF releases the national rules. The Waiters Relay and the Edible Centerpiece competitions are unique events to Florida and will be released when the Culinary and Management rules are available.
HOTEL The Rosen Plaza Hotel will be the host site for the 2023 ProStart Culinary Team Competitions. The room rate at the Rosen Plaza is $139 per night.
To reserve hotel rooms contact the Rosen Plaza at 800-627-8258 and reference the FRLAEF ProStart Competition 2023. The deadline to make hotel reservations is early February 2023. Do not wait to book your rooms! You may always adjust your reservation as the event gets closer.
PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE for the competition application. The application deadline is Friday, October 7, 2022. Applicants will be notified their status by Friday, October 14, 2022.
Universal Orlando’s Handheld Food Competition
FRLA and UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality are excited to announce Universal Orlando’s Handheld Food Competition. This event will take place in three stages with the winning item being sold in one of Universal Orlando’s properties. The first stage of the event will consist of teams submitting their menus and recipes. The top ten entries will then be selected to compete in-person at UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality. The third and final stage of the competition will be the top three teams from the UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality event competing at Universal Orlando with the winning item being selected.
The competition space and equipment available may change with each stage of the competition as the teams may be working in the kitchens at UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality and Universal Orlando. For the first stage, you may use any equipment you want. For each subsequent stage, we will have conversations about the equipment provided vs the equipment needed. We should be able to accommodate any equipment needed.
Stage One: All entry paperwork due by October 28, 2022
Stage Two: Top 10 selected teams to Orlando on January 24, 2023
Stage Three: Top 3 selected teams cook and present handheld in Orlando on Tuesday, March 7, 2023
As this is the first year of the competition, we know there will be many questions. Please send them to Laura. If there is enough interest, we will host a Zoom in September to walk everyone through the event.
Please do not post nor share these UCF UO Handheld Competition Rules with anyone outside the FL ProStart community and students. Universal Orlando is currently updating the communication guidelines for this contest, and we are awaiting approval to share outside the FL ProStart community.
CLICK HERE for complete competition rules.
Hospitality Industry Internships
The Hospitality Industry Internship (HII) provides the opportunity for Florida ProStart & HTM instructors to work in a 
foodservice/lodging establishment for at least 40 hours. Once the required paperwork has been processed, the participant will receive a personal check for $600.
To qualify for an HII, the instructor must teach the ProStart, HTM, or HTMP curriculum during the 2022-2023 school year. If you are already employed at a restaurant or hotel, you MAY NOT use that site for your internship. The restaurant/hotel must be a new work experience for you, not somewhere you have worked before or used as an HII internship location.
The applicant must secure a position at a foodservice or lodging facility where a minimum of 40 hours of hands-on experience is guaranteed. The host location may pay the recipient but is not required to do so.
The FRLAEF will award 11 HII’s this school year on a first-come, first-served basis. So apply NOW! Work experience may begin once the applicant receives an award notification from the FRLAEF.
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Updates
The NRAEF has updated chooserestaurants.org to include a new MyProStart site with direct links to ProStart Certificate of Achievement links as well as the Educators Hub. If you have not already merged your NRAEF accounts, you need to do so before you can administer the ProStart or ServSafe exams. This will also enable you to take the Fall Survey that will go out later this fall. Every school that completes the Fall Survey can receive $350 in complimentary foodsafety materials (ie. ServSafe and/or SafeStaff).
https://myprostart.chooserestaurants.org/
Click here for the 2023 ProStart Passport. The Passport contains all nationwide ProStart articulation agreements.
Want more information on Mobilize before you commit? Check out this PowerPoint.
NRAEF Educator Survey
The National Restaurant Association Education Foundation is asking for your participation in a survey of ProStart Educators. The goal of the survey is to determine the essential tasks performed by ProStart Educators to use as the basis for revising and updating the Summer Institute training program. While ProStart Educators work in a variety of educational settings, performing a wide variety of teaching tasks, the NRAEF wants to know about your individual experience in your role.
Educators who opt in AND complete the survey by the August 19th deadline will be entered for a chance to win one of three $100 gift cards.
CLICK HERE to take the survey.
Aaron Sanchez Scholarship Fund (ASSF)
The Institute of Culinary Education’s Culinary Arts program in New York City is excited to announce there are four scholarships available through the Aaron Sanchez Scholarship Fund. The scholarship award includes tuition, fees and supplies, mentorship, as well as flight to/from New York City, housing and more. Award recipients must be of Latin heritage or ancestry and between the ages of 18 and 25. The deadline for applications is Friday, September 16.
https://www.aaronsanchezscholarshipfund.com/apply
CAPE Update
We currently understand there will not be a CAPE application for new industry certifications this year. The current list of certifications remain the approved list of certifications for the 2022-2023 school year. DOE and Career Source Florida are currently working on a Master Credential List process. Once this process is complete current certifications will be reviewed and new certification applications will be accepted.
ServSafe is on the CAPE list and will remain on the list for the 2022-2023 school year. National Registry is also on the CAPE list and covers the same material as ServSafe. You are allowed to test your students using both of the certifications.
Salute to Excellence Awards Dinner
The Salute to Excellence Awards will take place on Sunday, March 5, 2023 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando. The awards dinner will recognize all ProStart Competition, Pineapple Award, Scholarship recipients and Hospitality Excellence Awardees. Registration will begin in January 2023.
ProStart instructors will have the opportunity to recognize one student during the awards dinner with a Hospitality Excellence Award. These students will be called on stage during the awards dinner and recognized with a certificate.
All ProStart instructors may receive a complimentary ticket to the awards dinner. Hospitality Excellence Award students receive two complimentary tickets, one for them and one for a guest.
Complimentary Foodsafety Materials (ServSafe and/or SafeStaff)
Each Premier and Full ProStart program is eligible for free ServSafe or SafeStaff materials. To ensure you get the materials you need, you must notify us of your needs. Once we receive your ProStart Classification paperwork (i.e.. Premier or Full), you can order up to $350 of complimentary ServSafe/SafeStaff materials. Once the FRLAEF receives your Premier or Full ProStart Commitment forms, we will send you a link to order your complimentary materials.
We do not know what foodsafety needs you have. Therefore, the FRLAEF will NOT send you foodsafety materials unless you request them so please do not forget to request the materials.
Complimentary ProStart Scantrons
The FRLAEF will distribute over $25,000 worth of free ProStart Exam Scantrons to Premier and Full ProStart schools during the 2022-2023 school year. Once a school has turned in their ProStart Classification paperwork, email Amy Parker to let her know how many ProStart Exam Scantrons you need. Requests are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Complimentary ServSuccess Materials
ServSuccess was introduced last year by the National Restaurant Association. It is a stackable foodservice industry credential. The entry level certification is Certified Restaurant Professional (CRP). Individuals must have 400 hours of industry experience along with the ServSafe exam to be eligible to sit for the CRP. No training is required but five modules are offered.
If you would like to take the courses and/or the exam, email Amy Parker to let her know and she will get you signed up for free!
The link below will provide you with additional information on CRP.
Scholarships
The FRLAEF will award at least $50,000 in scholarships during the 2022-2023 school year. These scholarships will be awarded during the Salute to Excellence Awards in the Spring. The scholarship application will be available in January.
The FRLAEF will conduct two ProStart Teacher Training events during summer 2023. Training will be held at the Keiser University Sarasota campus and at UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality in 
Orlando. Both events will begin on Tuesday evening and conclude at Friday lunch.
PROGRAM COST
The FRLAEF will cover the cost of all Florida ProStart instructors who will be teaching the ProStart curriculum during the 2022-2023 school year. Attendees will be responsible for their travel and some meals.
REGISTRATION
Online registration will begin Spring 2023.
Become a Dual Role ServSafe Instructor/Proctor
A Dual Role ServSafe Instructor/Proctor has access to all the free resources on the ServSafe website. If you passed the Instructor version of the ServSafe exam, you may apply for Dual Role status right away. If you took the English version of the exam, you may still become Dual Role, you just have to wait 90 days after you passed your ServSafe exam.
To become a Dual Role Instructor/Proctor, go to www.servsafe.com, login, and then click on Instructors/Proctors. Under Register/Renew click on Register and go from there. If you are already a ServSafe Proctor, you will be unable to become a Dual Role Instructor/Proctor until your Proctor status expires. You may also call ServSafe at 800-766-2122 and they may be able to reset your account so you can apply for Dual Role.