Prostart Student Invitational

Through ProStart and the Massachusetts Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (MRAEF), students receive many leadership and scholarship opportunities. Every year, the MRAEF sponsors a ProStart Invitational competition. Schools have the opportunity to compete in a culinary and/or management competition. Judges are industry professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to make the competition more meaningful for students.

Students are given a fictitious location, ProStartville, which the competition is based on. Management teams will develop a proposal to launch a new restaurant concept. In the proposal, teams will fully define the concept, develop a menu that fits the concept, and develop a marketing plan to support the launch. They will prepare a written proposal, verbal presentation and visual display. Culinary teams will start with exhibiting a mastery of knife skills and poultry fabrication. They will then have 60 minutes to cook a starter, entrée and dessert. Students will provide recipes, recipe cost and menu pricing.

Upon completion of the event, colleges and universities from around the country are on-hand to offer generous scholarships to the top teams in the competition. For example, The Culinary Institute of America offers up to $90,000 to students. Winning teams have the opportunity to compete nationally at the National ProStart Student Invitational, which is hosted by the NRAEF.

This year, the top two schools will be invited to go to Nationals on Friday, May 2nd through Sunday, May 4th at the Marriott Baltimore Waterfront, where they will have an opportunity to win more scholarship money.

For more information about ProStart, please contact Jen Almeida or call the MRA office at (508) 303.9905.