Gwinnett County Public Schools’ Berkmar High School culinary students and Maxwell High School of Technology’s  culinary management team took home top honors on Friday, March 17, 2023, at one of the nation’s largest culinary competitions. The Georgia ProStart® State Invitational competition focused on restaurant management and culinary arts. Berkmar High School chef, James Bryant, was also named Georgia ProStart® Educator of Excellence for his demonstrated excellence in the classroom. Meadowcreek High School’s culinary team took home 2nd place, after being state champions from 2017–2022.

Berkmar High School seniors, Litzy Hernandez, Evelyn Guevara and Zeke Galindo as well as junior, Nimah Hassen, brought home the 1st-place trophy for the first time in Berkmar’s culinary program history after putting together a three-course meal in one hour and without electricity. Principal Durrant Williams says, “Our second-year chef, James Bryant, had a lot to do with this great accomplishment. He brought his unique skill set from Florida to help lead our kids to victory in just two years. We finished 3rd in last year’s competition.” Chef Bryant adds, “This is a huge accomplishment for Berkmar Culinary. Our team put on an amazing performance under extreme pressure conditions. Even though we have modest facilities, these four students never missed a practice, trusted our process, and most of all, trusted and believed in each other. Now, we are looking forward to representing Berkmar, GCPS, and the State of Georgia at Nationals,” he said.

Maxwell’s culinary management team was led by Chef Amanda Williams, and composed of seniors, Jennifer Pacheco, Peachtree Ridge High School; Jhanir Brown, Grayson High School; Beila Rivas, Norcross High School, and junior Evan Ramos, Mountain View High School. Maxwell High School’s team has been competing in the ProStart® culinary competition since 2013. Over the past 10 years, Maxwell has placed multiple times in the top three, with back-to-back wins for 2022 and 2023. Prior to this, Maxwell placed first in 2015, and second place in 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2019.

“The students participating in the ProStart® competition come in with a yearning to learn and expand outside of their comfort zone. We work with mentors that are knowledgeable in the industry. Having been in the industry myself, my management experience serves as a tool to prepare students for hard questions being asked by the judges,” says Chef Williams. “Seeing my students take and apply the information and turn it into a restaurant business plan is an amazing accomplishment. Knowing that we have the right tools to make the team a success is a great feeling.”

Among the seven high schools that competed in the Georgia ProStart® State Invitational, GCPS took home the top honors and will represent Georgia at the Premier National High School Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management Competition in Washington, D.C., on May 2-4, 2023. There, the students will join more than 80 teams from across the country in the hopes of earning top high school culinary and restaurant management honors.

More than 400 students will be competing during the three-day event in Washington, D.C. that will feature an opening ceremony, two days of powerful culinary and restaurant management competition, and an awards dinner. The top five teams from the culinary and management competitions will earn coveted scholarships to continue their restaurant or food-service education.

“The young people participating in our ProStart® program are the future of our industry,” said Karen Bremer, GRA President + CEO. “I couldn’t be prouder to have Berkmar High School and Maxwell High School of Technology representing Georgia and competing at the national level in Washington D.C. The talent that these two teams have is genuinely inspiring, and I can’t wait to cheer them on.”

Supported by the Georgia Restaurant Association, ProStart® is a high school program that gives students interested in food service and hospitality careers a head start by teaching culinary techniques and management skills through an industry-driven curriculum. Upon successful completion of the ProStart® program, students receive an industry-recognized certificate, and employers get well-prepared, enthusiastic employees.

This exciting competition showcases the talents and classroom skills of ProStart® students from high schools across the nation. Students must impress judges from leading industry corporations, colleges, and universities with skills they have developed through ProStart. The NPSI is composed of two distinct competitions: management and culinary.

Management teams develop a proposal for the next promising restaurant concept and present it to a panel of industry judges. Their problem-solving skills are tested as they quickly solve challenges faced by managers daily. The culinary competition highlights each team’s creative abilities through the preparation of a three-course meal in 60 minutes, using only two butane burners and without access to running water or electricity. Students are evaluated on taste, skill, teamwork, safety, and sanitation.

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For more information on the ProStart program, click here.