Wekiva High wins three awards at Annual Hospitality Competition

Teams from Wekiva High School continued a tradition of success in the hospitality/culinary field by winning three awards at the 24th Annual ProStart Culinary Team Competitions.

The Mustang teams took first, second, and third place in three of the competition's events.

The events, sponsored by the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Educational Foundation, brought together 400 students from over 40 Florida high schools competing in Culinary, Management, Edible Centerpiece, and Waiter’s Relay events.

At the Salute to Excellence Award ceremony, winners received scholarships from the Culinary Institute of America, Culinary Institute of Virginia, Florida International University, Keiser University, Nicholls State University, and UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality. Culinary competition winners also earned full scholarships to Hillsborough Culinary Academies at Erwin Technical College.

First place teams in culinary and management will represent Florida at the national ProStart Invitational in Washington, D.C. this May.

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"We are incredibly proud of the talent and dedication shown by these students during the 24th annual ProStart and HTM events," said Laura Rumer, Director of the FRLA Educational Foundation. "These competitions highlight their skills and passion for the industry. It's inspiring to see so many receive scholarships and recognition for their hard work. Congratulations to all the winners, and we look forward to seeing them represent Florida at the national ProStart Invitational in Washington, D.C. this May."

“As the state’s top industry, hospitality is at the heart of Florida’s economy, and these high school students are its future,” said Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA). “We are thrilled to support their growth through programs like ProStart and HTM, which provide them with the skills and opportunities needed to succeed in this dynamic field. With the largest ProStart program nationwide and the unique distinction of being the only state to host a statewide HTM contest, we remain committed to nurturing the next generation of industry leaders. Their talent and passion give us great confidence in the future of Florida’s hospitality industry. We are proud to invest in these young leaders and look forward to seeing the incredible contributions they will make to our industry for years to come."

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24^th ANNUAL FLORIDA PROSTART COMPETITION WINNERS:

OVERALL WINNERS

1^st Place          Martin County High School (Stuart): Instructor Shaun Southwick

2^nd Place         Strawberry Crest High School (Dover): Instructor Paul Bonanno
3^rd  Place         Wekiva High School (Apopka): Instructor Christopher Bates
4^th TIE         South Lake High School (Groveland): Instructor John Thunberg

4^th TIE         Fort Pierce Central High School (Fort Pierce): Instructor Jesse Strell

5^th TIE         George Jenkins High School (Lakeland): Instructor Sherry Scott

5^th TIE         Lyman High School (Longwood): Instructor Dane Brevoort

KEISER UNIVERSITY CULINARY COMPETITION

1^st Place          Strawberry Crest High School (Dover): Rubicel Lopez, Jadira Ipanaque,  Savannah Heist, Sophia Reyes, and Riley Clark, Instructor Paul Bonanno

2^nd Place Wekiva High School (Apopka): Erika Giraldo, Nowah James, Diego German-Quen, Jasmine Thomas, and David Maldonado, Instructor Christopher Bates

3^rd Place Martin County High School (Stuart): Ethan Berrios, Constantino Padovano, Chris Clingan, and Sarah Duda, Instructor Shaun Southwick

4^th Place Lake Minneola High School (Minneola): Rocco Brown, Daijah Charles, Nathaly Sierralta, Matthew Loayza, and Noah Hammond, Instructor Nick Sandora

5^th Place JP Taravella High School (Coral Springs): Arianna Carter, Rihanna Cole, Gabriella Medina Perafan, and Luna Vasquez, Instructor Scott Goodman

UCF ROSEN COLLEGE OF HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT COMPETITION

1^st Place Wekiva High School (Apopka): Onyx Castillo, Zariah Edwards, Isaac Aristud, Aubrey Pugh, Instructor Christopher Bates

2^nd Place Strawberry Crest High School (Dover): Faye Lee, Juliana Kelly, Toby Highsmith, Reagan Westberry, and Christina Molina-Contreras, Instructor Paul Bonanno

3^rd Place Martin County High School (Stuart): Jameer Lewin, Claire Richter, Zoey Krisel, Olivia Da Cunha, and Jennifer Sanchez, Instructor Shaun Southwick

4^th Place Miami Lakes Educational Center (Miami Lakes): Paula Muniz, Ryan Anderson, Kyle Perez, and Wester Mordan, Instructor David Nunez

5^th Place Coral Springs High School (Coral Springs): Brady Porter, Aubrey Vance, Evan Bittman, David Puello, and Cole Clap, Instructor Aruna Lien

ProStart is a nationwide high school career program educating nearly 150,000 students in culinary arts and restaurant management skills. Florida’s ProStart program is the largest in the nation with approximately 30,000 students enrolled annually. ProStart’s industry-driven curriculum provides real-world educational opportunities and sets a high standard of excellence for the industry’s next generation of leaders. Yearly, students compete on state and nation-wide levels to showcase skills learnt in their classroom kitchens.

The Hospitality & Tourism Management program is a high school curriculum that introduces 2,000 Florida students to the hospitality and tourism industry each year. HTM presents the industry on a global scale with a large focus on diversity. Most importantly, this curriculum is industry driven as evidenced by the fact that more than 60 industry leaders served as subject matter experts, ensuring that today’s program matches the needs of hospitality employers across the world. Each year, Florida's HTM students compete at the state level to showcase the skills they have learned in the classroom.

The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association is Florida’s premier non-profit hospitality industry trade association. Founded in 1946 as the Florida Restaurant Association, FRLA merged with the Florida Hotel and Motel Association in 2006. FRLA’s more than 10,000 members include independent hoteliers and restaurateurs, household name franchises, theme parks, and suppliers. The association’s mission is to protect, educate, and promote Florida’s $111.7 billion hospitality industry which represents nearly two million employees.

For more information about ProStart, HTM, or FRLA’s Educational Foundation, visit our webpage.