Le Cordon Bleu to serve as gold sponsor of CRA Educational Foundation’s tenth annual California ProStart Cup

(SACRAMENTO, Feb. 10, 2012) – Le Cordon Bleu in North America will serve as a gold sponsor for the 2012 California ProStart Cup presented by the California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (CRAEF). The competition will be held March 25-26 at the Sacramento Convention Center.

“It is invaluable to have the support of an institution as prominent as Le Cordon Bleu,” CRAEF Executive Director Alycia Harshfield said. “Many ProStart students look to its campuses across the world as the places where their dreams of pursuing higher education can be fulfilled, so it’s incredibly significant to have Le Cordon Bleu so involved in the competition.”

The competition is divided into two distinct events. Culinary students will prepare a three-course meal using two butane burners, while management students will develop and present a business proposal for a new restaurant concept, including a supporting menu, a marketing plan and a detailed design.

Esteemed Le Cordon Bleu master chefs Ferdinand Metz and Ed Leonard, also Le Cordon Bleu’s vice president, will serve on the panel of judges at the competition.

The winning teams will be sponsored to compete in the 2012 National ProStart Invitational April 27-29 in Baltimore, Maryland. First-, second- and third-place teams from both events also will qualify for scholarships to various culinary and hospitality post-secondary programs, including Le Cordon Bleu.

About the California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation: CRAEF has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships and grants since its inception in 1981. CRAEF works to enhance education and training programs within the hospitality industry. ProStart is a two-year program designed to prepare high school juniors and seniors for exciting careers in foodservice.

About Le Cordon Bleu: Le Cordon Bleu in North America is a world renowned network of educational institutions dedicated to providing the highest level of culinary and hospitality instruction through world-class programs. Le Cordon Bleu continues to evolve by combining innovation and creativity with tradition through the establishment of Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in business that focus on the demands of a growing international hospitality industry. For more information, go online at www.chefs.edu.