Cape High takes first place at ProStart

Cape High students know a lot about running a restaurant, and they demonstrated it to judges, taking first place at the Delaware Restaurant Association's ProStart invitational.

Students from 11 schools across the state competed at Dover Downs, where industry insiders judged management and culinary teams who showed their skills designing a restaurant and menu as well as preparing food.

Cape students took first place in the management competition for the third year in a row, beating out William Penn and Middletown high schools. William Penn took first place in the culinary skills competition, earning both schools an opportunity for an all-expenses-paid trip to national competitions, this year to be set in Grapevine, Texas.

The two-year ProStart program is one of five selected programs that make up Gov. Jack Markell’s Pathways to Prosperity education initiative, aimed at youth development, job skills and placement for students in key industries.

“This competition gives students the opportunity to bring to life the culinary and management skills they have gained through the ProStart program,” said Carrie Leishman, president and CEO of the Delaware Restaurant Association. “These students have spent countless hours throughout the academic year with their educators and mentors, preparing for this event.

"It's a day of fierce competition, but also learning, life experience and camaraderie," she said. "We couldn’t be more proud of these students and the lifelong skills they are building in this program.”

Led by advisor Meghan Gardner, co-owner of the Blue Moon, Cape's team won after presenting their plan, from seating to menus, for a restaurant called '"The Sandwich Shop," with a menu featuring seasonal soups, salads and, of course, sandwiches.

Teams in the management competition demonstrate their knowledge of the industry by developing a restaurant proposal, delivering a verbal presentation, and solving the kinds of challenges managers face in day-to-day operations.

The culinary competition required teams to demonstrate their creative abilities by preparing a three-course meal in 60 minutes, using only two butane burners. Judging also included knife skills.

Teams at the Delaware ProStart Invitational can earn scholarships for post-secondary colleges and universities, and winning students from first to fourth place receive scholarships amounting to $33,000 per student.

Representatives and recruiters from Delaware Technical Community College, Delaware State University, University of Delaware, and Johnson and Wales University also attended the competition.

The national ProStart competition is slated from Friday through Sunday, April 29-May 1. For more information, go to www.delawarerestaurant.org.