ProStart Teacher Training Institute–Registration Now Open!
The 2021 ProStart Teacher Training Institute (TTI) will be held at Keiser University’s Sarasota Campus! Due to the limited response from the January survey, we will host only one three-day event. The event will be held June 23-25 with attendees possibly arriving the evening of June 22. The FRLAEF will arrange for and cover the cost of single occupancy overnight accommodations as well as the cost of the training and most meals. Attendees will be responsible for travel to/from the event as well as daily transportation to the campus. Due to current Covid rules, we are currently able to accommodate approximately 30 attendees. As space is extremely limited this year, preference will be given to those who are first-time attendees, then to those who have only attended one year, and so on until the event is full. However, if you have attended TTI three, four, or 14 years we encourage you to register. Because of the uncertainty of the times, you just may get a spot!
When completing the registration form, please complete the information regarding the topics you wish to cover. We will use this information to finalize the agenda.
CLICK HERE to register to attend. Registration closes May 7, 2021.
FRLAEF Scholarship Applications–Current & Former Students!
CURRENT STUDENTS
The FRLAEF will award approximately $40,000 in scholarships during the 2020-2021 school year! These scholarships will be awarded in the Spring. The scholarship application link is below. Please share with all your graduating seniors who are going to post secondary school to study anything in the field of Culinary, Foodservice or Hospitality.
Application deadline: March 19, 2021
FORMER STUDENTS
The FRLAEF will award two to three $1,000 scholarships to students who are currently enrolled in a post-secondary culinary, foodservice or hospitality program. Please get the word out to your former students!
Application deadline for postsecondary students is May 21, 2021
CAPE List
As you know, the ProStart Certificate of Achievement will be removed from DOE’s CAPE funding list at the end of the 2020-2021 school year. (It is still on the list for the current school year.) ServSafe remains on DOE’s CAPE funding list. Historically, ProStart instructors favor the ServSafe exam over the ProStart COA which is evidence by the fact that 63 COA’s were awarded during the 2019-2020 school year while 4278 ServSafe exams were administered.
In addition to ServSafe, ACF’s Certified Fundamentals Cook is also on the CAPE list for the 2021-2022 school year. To earn the Certified Fundamentals Cook students must pass a written and practical exam. The exams can be proctored at your schools but require a culinary industry professional, who is not the class instructor.
ACF does not require a specific curriculum be used to prepare for the exams. The instructor simply must show the material is being taught as part of the coursework. The ProStart program does meet the requirement. In the future, NRA may release a crosswalk between the ACF standards and the ProStart curriculum. In the meantime, the link below provides a blueprint for the certification.
https://www.nocti.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/JRCulArts4536.pdf
The FRLA does intend to submit the ServSuccess program for the CAPE list for the 2022-2023 school year. For the 2021-2022 school year, programs will have to rely on ServSafe and the CFC.
Earning COA Hours During a Pandemic
The National Restaurant Association has approved the following alternatives to industry hours through the end of the 2020-2021 school year:
- Students can set up their own YouTube channel. They can feature basic skills, like knife cuts and mother sauces, up to complex multistage dishes. If the students combine the work of planning, costing, practicing, filming and creating, editing and evaluating, this could be a pretty big project for each video.
- Provide meals as part of a service project. Hours verification provided by teacher if teacher-led, or by parent to teacher
- Run their home kitchen as if it were a café, creating menus and pricing for items cooked for families. Students who work for student-based enterprises at their schools will find this familiar. Hours verification provided to teacher by parent
- Create meals for their families (taking the menus and pricing from the option above out of the equation); there must be a bare minimum of work done – students cannot earn hours for making toast and bowls of cereal, for example. Hours verification provided to teacher by parent
- Participate in non-ProStart but still industry-specific learning modules i.e. ServSuccess/CRP modules. Educators must create a worksheet that students must complete to earn any hours associated with these modules to ensure active learning. Hours verification provided by teacher.
- Essay/Capstone project. Create an essay regarding leadership in the industry, with the incorporation of COVID-19. Students would be expected to describe what they would do if they had a restaurant and were faced with the decisions that our real life restauranteurs are facing. This would be a good case study and involve research as they could see which restaurants in their areas are still open, which ones are not, which ones closed permanently, limited menus, limited hours, delivery, grocerant, etc. and find if there are trends or similarities. Hours verification provided by teacher if teacher-led, or by parent to teacher
JWU Charlotte Campus Hosting Virtual Educator Professional Development
The Johnson & Wales University Charlotte team is offering virtual professional development to FCS Culinary Educators. This workshop is designed to enhance the understanding of various concepts contained in culinary and hospitality curriculums. It will be interactive with hands-on opportunities for educators “zooming in” from their home or school kitchens to work alongside the JWU faculty and culinary demonstrator team throughout the instruction. One week prior to the workshop, registrants will receive a list of ingredients and equipment to have on hand for the session as well as a more detailed agenda. Topics included in this workshop:
- Breakfast Cookery
- Pastry preparation and creams/custards
- Entrepreneurship success strategies (school based restaurant experiences)
The virtual workshop takes place Wednesday, March 24, 8:00 AM–2:00 PM and is free to attend. Attendees will earn 6 contact hours at the conclusion of the workshop.
Please register no later than Wednesday, March 17. If you have any questions regarding the workshop, please contact Mandy Hines at 336-395-4701 or mandy.hines@ jwu.edu. If you have questions or technical issues with the registration link, please contact Aneisy Cardo at 980-598-1106 or Aneisy.cardo @ jwu.edu.
Recently Remodeled Your ProStart Kitchen?
If you have recently remodeled your ProStart kitchen we would love to hear from you! Instructors are constantly looking for remodeling advice and we would love to share what you have learned along the way. Email Laura Rumer at Laura@FRLA.org if you can help.
NRAEF Scholarship Applications Now Open
For the first time in five years, the majority of college-bound seniors plan to take out a loan (CNBC) to fund their college education. To support passionate students pursuing their post-secondary education, the NRAEF’s scholarship applications opened Friday, January 15th, offering financial aid for students, military servicemen and women and individuals pursuing a restaurant, foodservice or hospitality career. The NRAEF will award nearly $1 million in scholarships and grants to individuals across the country. Learn more here. Applications will be accepted through March 15, 2021.
Hospitality Industry Internships
The Hospitality Industry Internship (HII) provides the opportunity for Florida ProStart 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 curriculum during the 2020-2021 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 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.
High School Scholarship Competition
The Culinary Institute of New York at Monroe College is launching a scholarship competition. The format is different this year with a focus on virtual submission and application with the hope to have a final cooking competition for the final four chefs and pastry chefs chosen. If guidelines allow, they will host the cook-off on Saturday, March 27 at the Culinary Arts Center in New Rochelle. They are prepared to award partial scholarships to ALL applicants that submit their dishes, a completed application for the competition, and an on-line application to Monroe College. This is an opportunity to connect with your students and assist them with their entries and give them the opportunity to earn a scholarship to what Niche.com has ranked as the #1 culinary program in the Northeast and #4 in the country. More information may be found here. Students can apply using this link: https://programs.monroecollege.edu/best-high-school-chef-application-2021
Online Resources Page–Updated with CIA Demos
The FRLAEF online resource page is being updated continuously with new information.
CLICK HERE to go to the page where you will find information about ProStart e-books, chapter animations and videos, foodsafety resources and more. In case you missed it, we have also made available all the notes from our Best Practice zoom meetings on this page.
First Edition Foundations Phasing Out June 2022
The first edition of Foundations of Restaurant Management & Culinary Arts will phase out in June 2022. After June 2022 NRAEF will not longer grade ProStart exams relating to the first edition of the textbooks. In order to remain a ProStart school and to test your students with the ProStart exams, you must have transitioned to at least the 2nd edition no later then June of 2022.
Johnson & Wales University Demos
If you are interested in virtual or in-person visits from Johnson & Wales University, please contact Summer at summer.navarro@juw.edu or Brian at brian.paolucci@jwu.edu.
FREE Foodsafety Training
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.
Complimentary ProStart Scantrons
The FRLAEF will distribute over $25,000 worth of free ProStart Exam Scantrons to Premier and Full ProStart schools during the 2020-2021 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.
ACF To Offer Free Classes
With everything happening in our world, the American Culinary Federation (ACF) would like to offer you free CEH courses, as well as access to their COVID-19 response webinars, including the webinar specifically geared for educators. Please go to the ACF Online Learning Center at: www.acfchefs.org/olc. You will need to create a free web profile if you are not an ACF member. Then look for the ACF United bundle and webinars under the featured tab or in the catalog. For any questions or issues, please don’t hesitate to contact ACF at: educate@acfchefs.net.
Path to Power Series
The Path to Power series profiles executives in the hospitality industry and the career path they took to get there. These articles were compiled for Florida’s ProStart and HTMP students.
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