Culinary Excellence And Tremendous Determination Vault Two Texas Teams to The Winner's Circle At The 18th Annual National ProStart Invitational

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, Dr. Gene Burton College & Career Academy from Rockwall, Texas won first place in culinary arts and Ben Barber Innovation Academy from Mansfield, Texas won first place in restaurant management, beating out global and national ProStart teams and winning the 2019 National ProStart Invitational (NPSI) – the nation's premier high school culinary arts and restaurant management competition hosted by The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF).

"After several years of being hosted in cities around the country, we were excited to bring the National ProStart Invitational to Washington, D.C. this year," said Rob Gifford, Executive Vice President of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. "Our ProStart students had the opportunity to show off their exceptional skills and compete for scholarships and bragging rights in front of top business leaders, government officials, and industry influencers. We were also thrilled to recognize this year's top educators in the country with our ProStart Educators of Excellence Awards."

See below for the top five winning teams in culinary and restaurant management:

Culinary:

Restaurant Management:

This year, the NRAEF brought the ProStart Educators of Excellence Awards to NPSI, spotlighting Jody Fowler (Missouri), Ashley Kurth (Florida), Brian Greene (Indiana) and the James H. Maynard Teacher of the Year, Mary Beth Brace from Bergen County Academies in New Jersey, recognizing their excellence and passion in the classroom and their creativity in all aspects of the ProStart program.

Guest appearances included Ted Allen, host of "Chopped" on the Food Network and author of "In My Kitchen,"; Chef Jerome Grant, Executive Chef at the National Museum of African American History and Culture and Sous Chef at the National Museum of the American Indian;Nicole Silva, entrepreneur and founder of Crumbles by Nicole and a finalist on ABC's "The Great Holiday Baking Show," and Chef Kwame Onwuachi, winner of the James Beard AwardRising Star Chef of the Year author of "A Young Black Chef," and creator and Executive Chef at Kith and Kin. Students had the opportunity to learn from and interact with these industry influencers, as well as additional industry thought-leaders throughout the competition weekend.

Hosted by the NRAEF, winners' scholarships can be used at the college or university of their choice to continue their restaurant/foodservice educations. Past NPSI winners have gone on to establish careers at some of the best restaurants in the world, including Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York and Alinea in Chicago.

About the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF): As the philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's (NRAEF) mission of service to the public is dedicated to enhancing the industry's training and education, career development and community engagement efforts.

The NRAEF and its programs work to attract, empower and advance today's and tomorrow's restaurant and foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart – a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready – partnering with community based organizations to provide "opportunity youth" with skills training and job opportunities; Military – helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships – financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and, the Hospitality Sector Registered Apprenticeship project – a partnership with the American Hotel & Lodging Association providing a hospitality apprenticeship program for the industry.

For more information, visit ChooseRestaurants.org/ProStart.

For more photos from the 2019 National ProStart Invitational, click here and here.

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SOURCE National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation