Rogers student wins excellence award at ProStart culinary and restaurant management state competition

Derek Tran of Rogers High School won the Student of Excellence Award and a $1,000 scholarship from the ProStart Invitational culinary and restaurant management competition held Saturday at Hotel RL Spokane.

Sixty-four aspiring high school chefs and restaurateurs from around the state gathered to compete for scholarships and the right to advance to the nationals in April. The event was hosted by the Washington Hospitality Association.

Overall, Newport High School of Bellevue took first place in the culinary competition. Kentlake High School took second place and Bonney Lake High School was third.

Each team had 60 minutes to create a three-course meal, but they were not allowed to use electricity or running water. They were limited to using butane burners.

The prize-winning menu from Newport was a soft-shell crab appetizer and a Takamori chicken and pork ramen main course, followed by a molten lava cake for dessert.

In the restaurant management competition, Newport again won first place, followed by Bonney Lake in second place and Ferris High School in third. Teams had to develop restaurant concept proposal and present it to the judges.

The winning teams will travel to Providence, Rhode Island, in April for a national competition.

Teams from Lewis and Clark, Rogers, North Central, West Valley, Mead, Mt. Spokane and Walla Walla also participated in the competition.

ProStart is a two-year hospitality program offered at high schools around the country.

In Washington, the program has more than 1,500 students per year. After completing the program, students receive a certificate of achievement they can show to potential employers when they enter the labor force.