It's no secret that the restaurant and foodservice industry is growing. In fact, it is estimated that from 2006 to 2016 the number of jobs in the restaurant and foodservice industry is projected to increase by 1.9 million - of which approximately 47,000 will be management positions! The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation is working hard - and getting results - in helping to meet this need through initiatives such as its ProStart program which encourages high school students to consider careers in the restaurant and foodservice industry. CLICK HERE to find out more about the ProStart Program.

Students representing the Carbon County Higher Education Center took third place in the Yellowstone National Park Lodges Culinary Cup at the 5th Annual Wyoming High School Hospitality Invitational in Jackson in March 2006. The CCHEC team included Nicole Brister, Lea Cormier, Rochelle Roberts and Casey Shinkle. They are enrolled in the ProStart© Foodservice Management Program at CCHEC, taught by Deborah Brown. Scott Anderson, chef, restraunt owner, and featured on Cheyenne's Channel 5 "Dining at Dawn" series, served as the team's mentor. In the culinary competition, student teams have 60 minutes to prepare and serve two identical gourmet meals. They cannot use any pre-made ingredients and their only heat source is two butane burners. The students design their own menu and provide recipes and a food cost analysis to the judges. They are judged on professional standards in 15 categories, including food safety, team work, proper use of equipment, taste and the appearance of their meal.

"This competition is designed to give students a real-world experience so they don't receive any extra consideration because they are students," explained the competition coordinator Monica Miller. Miller is Executive Director of the WLRA Education Foundation, which sponsors both the ProStart program and the competition.

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