2025 FRLAEF Scholarship Application Open!
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 as well as pursuing a degree in culinary or hospitality, has received a scholarship. It only takes a few minutes, so please encourage your students to complete the process.
NRAEF & AHLEI Scholarships Available
NRAEF Scholarship application will open January 15. CLICK HERE for the application page and info.
American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) Scholarships will open January 15. CLICK HERE for the landing page and info.
ServSafe to Stay on CAPE List!
ServSafe is no longer flagged for removal from the CAPE list! This flag would have removed ServSafe for the 2025-2026 school year, but it will stay on the list for the foreseeable future.
Universal Orlando’s Handheld Food Competition–Stage Three is Next!
Stages One & Two of the 3rd Annual Universal Orlando’s Handheld Food Competition are complete. The top ten teams competed on Tuesday, December 3 to earn a spot in Stage Three.
Congratulations to the following schools for advancing to Stage Three where they will cook and present their handheld item one more time on February 4, 2025.
Deltona High School
Miami Central Senior High
Miami Lakes Educational Center
The top ten teams that competed to earn a spot to compete in Stage Two were:
Coral Springs High School
Deltona High School
Keystone Heights High School
Miami Central High School
Miami Lakes Ed Center
Pepin Academies
Ridgeview High School
Wekiva High School
West Orange Tech
Winter Springs High School
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.
TRAINING DATES
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
Kitchen Tour Video
One of our FRLAEF Board Members, Dennis Chan is the owner operator of Blue Bamboo restaurant in Jacksonville. If you have received a Mini Grant, Chef Chan is among our Board members who spend a few hours going line by line through the requests and then awarding the Grants. He loves it!
The Clay County ProStart schools were having a hard time getting approved for field trips, so Chef Chan put this virtual kitchen tour together for them. Feel free to share with your students.
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.
OBSERVE THE COMPETITION If you have wondered what the ProStart competition is all about, you are welcome to join us March 8-9 to observe the competition. There is no registration process or fee to attend. This is also a good opportunity to bring some interested sophomores and juniors to get them excited about competing in 2026.
The application is closed, but if you would like to get on the waiting list, CLICK HERE.
RULES All competition rules may be found here on our competition page. Rule updates are in yellow.
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.
UCF Rosen College of Hospitality News
Open House
UCF Rosen College of Hospitality is hosting an Open House on Friday, February 21, 2025 for prospective students and their families. Space is limited. Please share the registration link with your students and encourage them to visit campus. More information can be found at https://hospitality.ucf.edu/open-house-at-rosen/.
Rosen College launches Parents University
Join the UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management’s Parents University! Open to all family members, supporters, and even current or prospective students, this program provides a unique connection to Rosen College. Through six interactive online sessions, participants can gain insights into student success, career opportunities, global experiences, and more. Hear directly from parents of students, as well as from our dedicated faculty, staff, and accomplished alumni. Sessions begin November 14—don’t miss this opportunity to become part of the Rosen College family! For more information and to register, visit www.hospitality.ucf.edu/parents-university. Please join us and encourage your students and their families to join RCPU.
ProStart Articulation
ProStart students who earn the Certificate of Achievement (COA) are eligible for articulation benefits in schools all over the country. If you have students who are interested in pursuing a Culinary Arts/Foodservice Management degree and are currently working in the industry (or have enough volunteer hours with you outside the classroom), then direct them to the National Restaurant Association ProStart Passport. This contains all the current articulation agreements for students that have earned their COA.
The COA is also what typically unlocks Premier status for Full ProStart schools. There are more details below about Premier and the COA. Contact Amy at [email protected] if you would like more information.
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.
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!
Foundations & ServSafe Updates
The 3rd edition of the ProStart curriculum, Foundations of Restaurant Management & Culinary Arts is set to be released in time for the 2025-2026 school year. A price list has not been made available. Schools do not have to purchase the 3rd edition to retain their status as ProStart schools, however, schools that have the 1st edition of ProStart will need to upgrade to the 3rd edition.
Effective Tuesday, October 1, 2024, there will be a 2% increase in the list price for the following products offered by the National Restaurant Association:
- ServSafe Coursebook and ServSafe SmartStudy Only
- Foundations of Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts (including eBooks and SmartStudy)
Florida Hospitality by the Numbers (click to enlarge)
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.
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.