EPHS Career Center Takes 1st Place in Restaurant Management Competition

The 2020 RI ProStart High School Culinary & Foodservice Management and Hotel Management Competition was held today, February 27, 2020 at the Omni Providence Hotel in Providence, RI.

For the third consecutive year team East Providence has earned 1st place in the RI ProStart Management competition. The winning East Providence students are Kyle Duggan, Michelle Moniz, Adriana Peixoto and Kyle Xavier. The instructor is EPHS culinary arts teacher, Chef William Walker.

This annual Culinary Arts and Management Competition brings together the top ProStart® high school students from throughout the state and provides them the opportunity to show off their foodservice technical and management skills in a statewide competition. There is also a Hotel Management Competition to bring together the top Hospitality and Tourism Management high school students from Rhode Island to show off their management skills and creativity.

Teams faced off in one of the three following competitions: Culinary, Restaurant Management or Hotel Management. For each respective competition, students must impress judges from various industry professions. Student teams will demonstrate the skills learned in the classroom and showcase the most important skills needed on either side of the restaurant and foodservice industry or the hospitality and tourism industry. They are judged in a variety of categories including safe food transportation, knife skills, 3-course meal preparation, professionalism, and teamwork.

The top three ranking teams from the culinary and management competitions are awarded medals and generous educational scholarships to help further their careers in the hospitality, restaurant, and foodservice industry. The first place ProStart teams have the opportunity to represent Rhode Island in the National ProStart® Invitational held in Washington, DC.

“I am extremely proud of these students,” said Chef Walker of the EP Career and Technical Center culinary arts & restaurant management program. “They have worked so hard and it shows in their winning 1st place three years in a row. Kyle & Kyle were on last year’s championship team & Adriana & Michele will be competing in nationals for the first time. It’s a Shark tank style competition,” described Walker. “The national prostart invitational will be held in Washington DC in April & our kids are looking forward to representing the great state of Rhode Island.” Added the chef-instructor.”