Students compete in culinary event
Friday, March 14, 2008
Students from the Eudora-De Soto Technical Education Center competed with 150 students from more than a dozen high schools in the seventh annual ProStart Student Invitational, March 10-11 at the Hilton Wichita Airport. Sponsored by the Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association, the ProStart curriculum gives students educational opportunities that prepare them for a career in the hospitality and food service industries.
Top finishers from the EDTEC culinary arts program were:
- Team of Eudora High School students Jim Thoennes, Natalie Gloshen and Kelsie Riser, placed second in the knowledge bowl
- Team of Matt L'Ecuyer from De Soto High School and Nate Bolech from Mill Valley High School placed third in the knowledge bowl
EDTEC teams also competed in culinary contests but did not finish in the top three out of 17 teams. The marquee culinary event was the cook-off, in which teams have 60 minutes and two burners to create meals. There also is a edible centerpiece contest and a case study competition that requires students to solve hypothetical restaurant management problems.
"ProStart is a great opportunity," said culinary arts instructor Jason Gray. "It's a chance for these kids to perfect some specialized skills and to see how they compare to other students across the state. They do a great job of representing our program and their communities."
Check
out photos from the competition in this slide show: 
ProStart March
2008
