High School Management Teams Take Top Honors at Statewide Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 20, 2006

Sacramento, Calif. – March 8 and 9, students from Pleasant Valley High School claimed victory at the sixth annual California ProStart® Management Competition, organized by the California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (CRAEF) and the Kitchen Academy in Sacramento. The event, which is separated into two categories of competition, pitted five schools from across the state in a battle of skill and knowledge. Teams were awarded points based on their knowledge of practical restaurant management skills and the ProStart curriculum.

The first-place winners in the management competition were Cody Bruggman, Joshua Davis, Chris Gill, Chondra Spaeth and alternate member Rhonda Mosier from Pleasant Valley High School in Chico. Second-place went to the Newport Harbor High School team members Jessica North, Shayna Starkweather, Max Venaas, Kellie Zimmer. Third-place winners were Angelina Beckham, Kristyn Bielawa, Ruth Pagan, Laken Stewart Jones and alternate member Alexis Reed from La Quinta High School in La Quinta.

“These students showed tremendous skill and expertise under pressure and should be proud of this great accomplishment,” said Wendy Armour, School-to-Career Manager for CRAEF. “The ProStart® curriculum, along with the support of family, teachers and mentors, is helping produce the next generation of restaurant and foodservice professionals.”

The Pleasant Valley team will now represent California at the National ProStart® Student Invitational management competition, a rigorous battle among students who placed first in their respective states’ culinary competitions. State teams will showcase their management knowledge through a restaurant case study and a Jeopardy-style game called the Quiz Bowl where teams compete against each other for the most points. The competition is expected to intensify as judges from leading post-secondary colleges and universities across the country will rate the various contestants.

The national event is scheduled to take place in San Diego from Thursday, April 24 to Saturday, April 26, and will feature student teams from across the country.

To learn more about the culinary competition and the ProStart® program in California, please visit www.calrest.org or call 800.765.4842.