2024-2025 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 2023-2024 school year. In order to be classified as a Premier school this year, the program must complete the required work during the previous school year. Schools that achieve Premier status receive a stipend of $1,000.
Schools may work to qualify for Premier status until the 2024 paperwork deadline, which typically means having students earn the ProStart Certificate of Achievement (COA). 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 may choose between the Full and Curriculum Only classification. Schools that achieve Full status receive a stipend of $500.
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 20, 2024, the FRLAEF will assume your school is a Curriculum Only program. This is an ANNUAL contract.
Mini Grants
The FRLAEF is offering $125,000 in Mini Grant funding to Premiere and Full Florida ProStart schools this year. To assist in your planning, this averages to about $900 per school.
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 20, 2024.
APPLY FOR A MINI GRANT NOW!
GRANT AWARD NOTIFICATION: The FRLAEF Board will meet in 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 which includes lunch and chef 
coats for participating ProStart students. 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 24, October 8 and November 12. Agenda is TBD.
The Keiser University events are scheduled for October 17 in Sarasota, December 12 in Melbourne and November 1 in Tallahassee.
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.
GO TO REGIONAL WORKSHOP PAGE
The page contains details and registration links for all events.
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 2024-2025 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 27, 2024
GRANT AWARD NOTIFICATION: October 2024
ProStart Culinary Team Competitions
The 24th Annual ProStart Culinary Team Competitions will take place Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9, 2025 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando.
On Saturday, March 8, most of the Culinary Teams and Management Teams will compete along with all Edible Centerpiece teams. On Sunday, March 9, 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. The stipend will be $425 per competition with a school receiving a total of $1700 for competing in all four events.
RULES Since Florida’s Culinary and Management Competitions mirror the national rules, we cannot release Florida’s competition rules until the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation 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 2025 ProStart Culinary Team Competitions. The room rate at the Rosen Plaza is $155 per night. To reserve hotel rooms contact the Rosen Plaza at 800-627-8258 and reference the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association Educational Foundation. The deadline to make hotel reservations is Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Do not wait to book your rooms! You may always adjust your reservation as the event gets closer.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY!
The application deadline is Friday, October 4, 2024. Applicants will be notified their status by Friday, October 11, 2024.
Universal Orlando’s Handheld Food Competition
FRLA and UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality are excited to announce the 3rd Annual 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 competing at UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality where the winning item will be selected.
STAGE ONE: All entry paperwork due by October 18, 2024
STAGE TWO: Top 10 selected teams to Orlando on December 3, 2024
STAGE THREE: Top 3 selected teams cook and present handheld in Orlando on February 4, 2025
For the first stage, you may use any equipment you want as there are no restrictions concerning electric or battery-operated devices. For each subsequent stage, we will discuss the equipment provided in the kitchens to ensure teams have everything they need. Also for the first stage, make sure EVERYTHING is correct in your recipes which includes math, measurements, etc. as the judges will be looking at every detail. Finally, a handheld item does not necessarily mean it must be eaten while walking around in a theme park. It may be better to think along the lines of an item that can be eaten without utensils.
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 2024-2025 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.
APPLY NOW!
Salute to Excellence Awards Dinner
The Salute to Excellence Awards will take place on Sunday, March 9, 2025 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando. The awards dinner will recognize all ProStart Competition, Pineapple Award, and Hospitality Excellence Awardees.
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.
Registration will begin in January 2025.
Complimentary Foodsafety Materials (ServSafe and/or SafeStaff)
Each Premier and Full ProStart program is eligible for free ServSafe or SafeStaff materials. Once we receive your ProStart Classification paperwork (i.e.. Premier or Full), you can order up to $350 of complimentary ServSafe/SafeStaff materials through a link we will send you.
NEW THIS YEAR When you complete the National Restaurant Association Data Survey, you will be sent a link from us to order up to $800 of free foodsafety materials. We will let you know when the survey is available. It has typically gone out in late September/early October.
Become a Premier ProStart School with Free ProStart Exam Materials
Teachers often ask how they can become Premier ProStart schools when they are doing everything required to be Full ProStart schools. In order to get to Premier, you must have at least one student earn the ProStart Certificate of Achievement (COA). If you have a student already working in the foodservice industry, this could be a pathway to get to Premier status. To earn their COA, students must:
- Work at least 400 hours in the foodservice industry
- Pass both Foundations exams
- Have their manager complete the Work Experience Checklist
For a detailed list and a how-to of these steps click here.
The FRLAEF offers free ProStart exam materials each year to Premier and Full ProStart schools. Once we have received a teacher’s Full Implementation contract you are free to request complimentary scantrons or online codes.
Complimentary ServSuccess Materials
ServSuccess 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 certification 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 $65,000 in scholarships during the 2024-2025 school year. Each scholarship awarded will be in the amount of $2,000 and will be a one-time, non-renewable 
scholarship.
To be eligible for this scholarship the applicant must:
- Be enrolled in a ProStart program in a Florida secondary school
- Be a graduating senior who will begin post-secondary education in 2025
- Be entering a culinary or hospitality post-secondary program
- Return a copy of their OFFICIAL high school transcript to FRLAEF by application deadline
APPLICATION TIMELINE The FRLAEF Scholarship application will become available in January NewsBites. The application deadline is April 11, 2025
COMPLETE THE FULL APPLICATION! For the last six years, each applicant that has returned a completed application along with their high school transcript has received a scholarship. It only takes a few minutes, so please encourage your students to complete the process.
The FRLAEF will conduct two ProStart Teacher Training events during summer 2025. 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 2025-2026 school year. Attendees will be responsible for their travel and some meals.
SAVE THE DATE
Attendees may choose from one of the trainings below when the registration link becomes available in March NewsBites.
June 17-20, 2025 UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality
June 24-27, 2025 Keiser University, Sarasota