Aprons Are Here!
All Florida ProStart schools were sent 20 aprons this week so be on the lookout! Thanks to our sponsors for making this happen! And thanks to Richard Wilkey, ProStart teacher at Palmetto Ridge High School in Collier County for sending us this great pic!
NRAEF Data Collection Survey Deadline is December 10
The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) ProStart Data Collection is happening now. The survey is managed by NRAEF.
Once you complete the survey, the FRLAEF will send you an email to request $350 worth of free foodsafety materials. This is on a first-come, first served basis, so complete your NRAEF survey as soon as possible. The FRLAEF will not send you foodsafety materials unless you request them.
We are also giving a $25 Amazon gift card to each school that completes the survey. If you completed the survey prior to Friday, October 29th the Amazon gift card has been sent to you electronically. Survey closes on December 10. Keep in mind, if you are a Premier or Fully Implemented ProStart school, the survey is one of the few requirements we ask you to complete. Don’t jeopardize your status for next year–it only takes a couple minutes to complete!
UCF Rosen News
The UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management is getting ready for the holiday season after a busy Fall semester. The college was proud to host three in-person ProStart Student and Teacher Workshops in September, October, and November. It was great to have visitors on campus and in the kitchens again. The UCF Rosen College is also happy to announce they will host a Summer 2022 ProStart Teacher Training Week. More details will be forthcoming very soon. Also, this year RCHM Chef Instructors developed a new culinary demonstration video series in our state industry kitchens. Click here to access the video series. For more information, please contact jonathan.judy@ucf.edu
Hospitality Industry Internships
The Hospitality Industry Internship (HII) provides the opportunity for Florida ProStart & HTMP 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/HTMP curriculum during the 2021-2022 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.
ACF Webinars
ChefsForum: “The State of the Industry & Path Forward”
12/9 at 2pm ET
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1-EpxiG3TEOGTR1VEZQgWw
In Fall 2021 the James Beard Foundation conducted a “Food & Beverage Industry Benchmark Study” to better understand career paths of foodservice industry employers and employees in the United States and identify the challenges they face to determine what the future of the industry looks like as well as the needs of operators and employees.
In this webinar, join researchers, Lilly Jan, PhD lecturer of food and beverage at the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, Chandan Sharma and other industry professionals to discuss the findings from this study and how the broader independent food and beverage industry can progress. This ACF ChefsForum Webinar is presented in collaboration with the James Beard Foundation and Moderated by Anne E. McBride, JBF Vice President of Programs
As requested, here is the list of the previous 2021 Webinars with links:
https://wearechefs.com/acf-chefsforum-webinar-series/
The two most recent October webinars, which are really great for students:
Chef Nick Calias CEC, CCA – The Colannade Hotel, Boston – Fall Flavors (Pork Chop Dish)
Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer – The French Pastry School, Chicago – Laminated Doughs/Croissants
Salute to Excellence Awards Dinner
The Salute to Excellence Awards will take place on Sunday, March 6, 2022 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 2022.
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 Copies of the Business Side of Restaurants
The Business Side of Restaurants was written by former Georgia Restaurant Association Restaurateur of the Year, Cliff Bramble. Mr. Bramble has over 40 years of industry experience as well as founded one of the best restaurants in Georgia and one of the best steakhouses in America. He also co-owned four multi-million-dollar restaurants. During COVID closures, he had to close his restaurant which gave him the time to write a book about the industry. This book covers everything from lease discussion and operating cost to human resources and the areas that can suck a business dry. It also includes QR codes throughout the chapter which link to online webinars and videos relevant to the topic covered. For more information go to https://www.hungryhospitality.com/the-business-side-of-restaurants.html or https://www.hungryhospitality.com/uploads/5/9/8/3/5983830/final_print_book_summary_091721.pdf.
Mr. Bramble is interested in providing complimentary eBooks to you and your students. If you are interested, please reach out to him at sales@hungryhospitality.com. Include that you are a Florida ProStart school.
Complimentary Foodsafety Materials
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, you can order up to $350 of ServSafe/SafeStaff materials. Click here for the price list. Email Amy Parker to place your order–you do not need to fill out the form. Requests are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
The FRLAEF will not send you foodsafety materials unless you request them. 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 2021-2022 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). In the perfect world (which we do not live in), the COA will unlock the CRP. We do intend to submit the CRP for DOE’s 2022-2023 CAPE list. Individuals must have 400 hours of industry experience and be SafeStaff foodhandler certified 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.
Congratulations to Emmanuelle Suarez, ProStart teacher at Lake Worth High School, and Kim Westrom, ProStart teacher at Port Charlotte High School for being the first Florida ProStart teachers to earn their CRP Certification!
Scholarships
The FRLAEF will award $44,000 in scholarships during the 2021-2022 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 be conducting two Teacher Training events during summer 2022. Training will be held at the Keiser University Sarasota campus
and at UCF Rosen 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 2022.