2018-2019 Premier ProStart Schools
Congratulations to the 2018-2019 Premier ProStart schools! These teachers have reached the benchmarks that are required to have Premier status. Some of the benefits Premier schools receive is:
- $750 stipend check for their program
- Automatic entry into the ProStart Competition
- Opportunity to apply for the ProStart Extreme Kitchen Makeover Grant
If you are interested in working to become a Premier ProStart school for the 2019-2020 school year, please let us know!
2018-2019 PREMIER PROSTART SCHOOLS
| Bayside High School, Stuart Gray, Christopher Cox, Instructors |
| Bowers/Whitley Career Ctr, Cheryl White, Instructor |
| Dixie Hollins High School, Christy Rabich, Tara Bishop, Instructor |
| Dunnellon High School, Melissa Mosby, Instructor |
| Eastside High School, Pam Bedford, Instructor |
| Golden Gate High School, Maria Isabel Crisanti, Instructor |
| Hialeah High School, Kathy Gonzalez, Instructor |
| Holmes County High School, April Rockwell, Instructor |
| Inlet Grove High School, Tammy Newman, Instructor |
| JP Taravella High School, Scott Goodman, Instructor |
| Lake Worth Community High, Emmanuelle Suarez, Anthony Zottoli, Instructors |
| Lecanto High School, Suzanne Sheffield, Instructor |
| Martin County High School, Shaun Southwick, Ashley Sesta, Instructor |
| Palm Bay Magnet High School, Dieu Ho, Instructor |
| Plantation High School, Mesha Wallace, Instructor |
| South Plantation High School, Judy Baker, Benjamin Blodgett, Instructors |
| South Tech Academy, Suzanne O’Neil, Instructor |
| St. Lucie West Centennial High School, Calvin Lewis, Christina Gedke-Balaschak, Instructors |
| Stoneman Douglas High School, Ashley Kurth, Instructor |
| Tarpon Springs High School, Cathleen Ryan, Vincenzo Pesce, Tony, DeVincenzo, Instructors |
| Terry Parker High School, Ginger Stehlin, Dean Hanapel, Instructors |
Extreme ProStart Kitchen Makeover Grant Awarded
For the first time, the FRLAEF is investing approximately $50,000 into a Premier ProStart school to help renovate their kitchen facility and bring it up to standards. The FRLAEF Board of Trustees met during the FRL Show to review the six eligible applications for the Extreme ProStart Kitchen Makeover grant.
The Extreme ProStart Kitchen Makeover Grant was awarded to JP Taravella High School in Coral Springs. The ProStart instructor is Scott Goodman. Congratulations to Scott and JP Taravella! Look for before and after pictures in an upcoming issue of NewsBites.
Grilled Ch
eese Competition Results
Fifteen Florida ProStart schools competed for cash and glory at the ACF Grilled Cheese Competition on September 6, 2018, during the FRL Show. Show attendees sampled grilled cheeses like “The Figgy Goat” (Gruyere, fresh mozzarella and goat cheese, with prosciutto, basil and fig preserves on artisan bread), “Yellow Sting Classic Crave” (White organic bread with a variety of four cheeses and a smoked gruyere crispy with a basil pesto side), and “Hola from Wisconsin” (Creamy Wiconsin brick cheese, gouda, smoked ham, jalapeno pepper jelly, cream cheese and fresh jalapenos on Texas toast).
Each ticket holder got to place one vote for their favorite sandwich which resulted in a People’s Choice winner. A group of five ACF chefs then scored the teams separately for the Judge’s Choice award. The winners of the Judge’s Choice category received $500 and a trophy for First Place; $250 and a trophy for Second Place; and, $100 and a trophy for Third Place.
PE
OPLE’S CHOICE WINNERS
First Place: Lake Wales High School, “Hola from Wisconsin”
Second Place: Ridgeview High School, “Ridgeview Classic” (Sourdough bread, mustard, butterkase cheese, caramelized onion, tomato and bacon bits)
Third Place: South Lake High School, (Artesan white bread with layers of creamy Mascarpone Cheese and Raspberry Jam. Spread with butter sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Grilled to a beautiful golden brown. Topped with a drizzle of Nutella.)
JUDGE’S CHOICE WINNERS
First Place: JP Taravella High School, “The Spicy Pig & Peach” (Sourdough bread grilled with maple bacon, sliced fresh peaches, baby swiss, picked jalapenos and peach preserves)
Second Place: Martin County High School, (Grilled Four-Cheese Sandwich with Havarti, Cheddar, Fontina and Gruyere on Herbed-Sourdough with Caramelized Onion, Date and Bacon Jam)
Third Place: South Lake High School
FRLAEF Regional Workshops–Registration Still 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 will be provided for all attendees at each event. Chef coats will be given to all participating ProStart students at each event. Travel to and from events is on your own.
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.
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.
ProStart Culinary Team Competitions–October Deadline
The 19th Annual ProStart Culinary Team Competitions will take place Friday, March 1 — Saturday, March 2, 2019 at the Rosen 
Plaza Hotel in Orlando.
On Friday, March 1, half of the Culinary Teams and Management Teams will compete along with all Edible Centerpiece teams. On Saturday, March 2, the remaining Culinary and Management teams will compete along with all of the Waiter Relay Teams. The competition will be followed by an awards dinner on March 2, 2019 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 amount will be announced when the number of competing teams is finalized.
RULES Competition rules are now available on our competition web page HERE.
HOTEL The Rosen Plaza Hotel will be the host site for the 2019 ProStart Culinary Team Competitions. The room rate at the Rosen Plaza is $129 per night.
To reserve hotel rooms, use THIS LINK or contact the Rosen Plaza at 800-627-8258 and reference the FRLAEF ProStart Competition Salute to Excellence. The deadline to make hotel reservations is Wednesday, February 13, 2019. But don’t wait this long to book your rooms! These rooms sell out quickly. Go ahead and reserve your hotel rooms. You can always cancel before the deadline if you decide you want to stay elsewhere.
PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE for the competition application. The application deadline is Friday, October 12, 2018. Applicants will be notified their status by Friday, October 19, 2018.
Mini Grants
Mini Grant award emails went out on Monday September 10, 2018. If you can not find your award email, please let us know. Recipients will have until November 30, 2018 to spend
their grant money.
Grant items may be purchased in several ways:
- teacher/school may purchase, send receipts to FRLAEF for reimbursement
- teacher/school sends invoice directly to FRLAEF to pay
- teacher sends FRLAEF detailed link to their grant item(s), FRLAEF pays for item(s) online
Marriott Info Request + Job Opportunities in Puerto Rico
Marriott is interested in connecting to more ProStart students and schools in Florida. If you are currently working with a Marriott, please let us know! We would like the property name and contact name to share with them.
Marriott is hiring all positions for St. Regis Bahia Beach Puerto Rico. This property is opening in November 2018. If you have former students who may be interested, please pass this information on to them.
CLICK HERE for the Management Positions flyer.
CLICK HERE for the Non-Management Positions flyer.
Culinary Position Open in Marion County
Forest High School in Marion County is in need of a culinary teacher. For more information CLICK HERE and then look for the Careers tab at the top right corner to apply.
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 from the FRLAEF.
To qualify for an HII, the instructor must teach the ProStart/HTMP curriculum during the 2018-2019 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 also 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.
CLICK HERE to apply.
NRAEF Data Collection (Fall Survey)
The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) ProStart Data Collection is now live! Each lead teacher was sent an email from ProStartProgramInfo@westat.com on Tuesday, September 18. This email contained a link and a unique code to log in and complete the survey.
In return for the benefits and opportunities the FRLAEF gives to Premier and Full ProStart programs, we ask you to complete this survey. Please take five minutes to do this so you may retain your status for next year. After you complete the survey, we will also give you $350 in free foodsafety materials. This benefit is for all survey completers, not just Premier or Full programs.
Some surveys have gone to junk/spam folders. If you are unable to find yours there, please let me know and I will ask Westat to resend it to you.
ACF Scholarship Opportunities
ACF General Scholarships – for students to use toward post secondary programs, apprenticeship, etc: https://tinyurl.com/ACFScholarshipApp (Deadline: Oct 31)
ACF Scholarship Applications for Specific Schools- CIA & JWU
- Culinary Institute of America (Deadline: May 1)
- Johnson & Wales University (Deadline: December 1)
Salute to Excellence Awards Dinner
The Salute to Excellence Awards will take place on Saturday, March 2, 2019 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 2019.
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
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.
NRAEF has finally made the 7th edition Instructor tools available! The Instructor USB is $200 if you are interested. It is listed on the price sheet.
Complimentary ProStart Scantrons
The FRLAEF will distribute over $25,000 worth of free ProStart Exam Scantrons to Premier and Full ProStart schools during the 2018-2019 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.
FRLAEF Scholarships
The FRLAEF will award $44,000 in scholarships during the 2018-2019 school year. These scholarships will be awarded during the Salute to Excellence Awards in the Spring. The scholarship application will be available in late Fall.
The 23rd Annual ProStart Teacher Training Institute will take place in June 16-21, 2019. The week-long training provides
Florida ProStart instructors with the knowledge necessary to teach the ProStart curriculum. Each day’s learning is built around topics covered in the ProStart curriculum.
LOCATION
All classes will be held at Johnson & Wales University (JWU) North Miami campus, 1701 NE 127th Street, North Miami, Florida, 33181.
PROGRAM COST
The FRLAEF will cover the cost of all Florida ProStart instructors who will be teaching the ProStart curriculum during the 2019-2020 school year. Attendees will be responsible for their travel and some meals.
REGISTRATION
Online registration will begin Spring 2019.