Salem, Eugene culinary teams compete at Oregon ProStart Championships

Em Chan, Salem Statesman Journal
·1 min read

The Oregon ProStart Championships returned to the Salem Convention Center on Monday after a pandemic hiatus, showcasing the best of high school culinary and management students in competition.

Winning high school teams from Crook County and McMinnville will head to the national championships in Washington, D.C., in May. Students from Salem and Eugene schools also competed.

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation developed the career technical education curriculum and program to support students heading into restaurant, hospitality and food service roles. The championship is the capstone for the two year program.

Teams from 10 high schools competed in the event, including Salem CTEC and Willamette High School in Eugene, as well as Crook County, Estacada, Liberty, McMinnville, North Medford, Sam Barlow, Seaside and Taft.

Salem CTEC's starter dish of Dungeness crab fritters during the Oregon ProStart Championships at the Salem Convention Center on March 13 in Salem.
Salem CTEC's starter dish of Dungeness crab fritters during the Oregon ProStart Championships at the Salem Convention Center on March 13 in Salem.

Salem CTEC's Kaylee Perrenboom-Dominguez was named Oregon ProStart Student of the Year. Oregon ProStart Mentor of the Year was presented to Maddy VanDewalker of Crook County.

Event categories are a culinary and a management competition, done in a simulated TV-style format.

The culinary competition required teams of four students to prepare a three-course meal in 60 minutes using only two butane burners.

The management competition had teams evaluated on concept, marketing strategies, menu, food costs, operations and critical thinking skills based on what they made in the culinary competition.

Championship results

Culinary competition:

  • 1st Place: Crook County High School

  • 2nd Place: Sam Barlow High School

  • 3rd Place: Willamette High School

Management competition:

  • 1st Place: McMinnville High School

  • 2nd Place: Salem CTEC

  • 3rd Place: Seaside High School

Em Chan covers food and dining at the Statesman Journal. You can reach her at echan@gannett.com, follow her on Twitter @catchuptoemily or see what she's eating on Instagram @sikfanmai.ah.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Culinary teams compete at 2023 Oregon ProStart Championships