Oswego students shine in culinary skills, hospitality management

If a student-run restaurant opens within District 308, local patrons will be in good hands. Both Oswego High School’s and Oswego East High School’s culinary and hospitality management teams fared very well in state competition, with one team heading to nationals this weekend.

In the Hospitality Management Team category, Oswego East students Matthew Denor and Gail Baltar took home first place honors and the opportunity to represent the state of Illinois at the National ProStart Invitational in Baltimore April 27-29. The Oswego High School Management team of Alyssa Allen, Taryn Trenter, Tim Wodzisz, and Catherine DeNeve also had an impressive showing, placing 5th in the state.
The Oswego High School Culinary team of Quyn Gardner, Darhaynee Nunez, Andrae Holliday, and Devan Wollenberg placed 4th in state, followed closely by the 5th place Oswego East High School Culinary team consisting of James Taylor, Brandy McWaine, and Rebecca Abraham.
Teams placing first through third from each competition are awarded scholarships to pursue post-secondary education in foodservice and restaurant management, as well as cash and prizes.
During the state competition, 12 culinary teams and 10 management teams comprised of high school students from across the state gathered at Chicago’s Kendall College to compete in the 11th Annual ProStart® Student Invitational – a full day of culinary and restaurant management competitions. The event, was hosted by the Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (IRAEF) and sponsored by SYSCO Foodservice-Chicago and consists of a series of events challenging students on their culinary skills and hospitality management knowledge.
In the Management Competition, teams of two to four students presented a proposal for a restaurant concept in ProStartville, Ill. Each team was evaluated on a visual presentation communicating the concept, menu and marketing tactics, as well as on critical thinking responses to foodservice, hospitality and business-focused questions covered in the first year of the ProStart® curriculum.
In the Culinary Competition, students in teams of two to four students prepared two identical portions of a three-course meal consisting of a starter, entrée and dessert – all within a 95-minute time frame. The students were judged on knife skills and poultry fabrication; method and technique; sanitation and safety; professionalism; presentation; recipe costing; organization and teamwork.
Teams in both competitions were judged by leading chefs from restaurants and post-secondary schools, as well as professionals from restaurants, small companies and corporations.