ProStart to finish in one hour

[Portland, OR] - Educators, mentors, industry professionals, sponsors, friends and family will cheer teams on as they race the clock and put their culinary skills to the test. Will last year’s champion retain the title, or will a new school dazzle the judges? Who will attend the National Culinary Competition next April in Kansas?

Each team will spend 30 minutes setting their workstation, known as “mise en place” or “put in place”. Once mise en place is completed, the team has only one hour to prepare their meal. Using only two butane burners and an 8x8 foot work space, each team must present one starter (a salad, soup or appetizer), one main course consisting of a protein, a vegetable and a starch, and finally a dessert. Teams choose their own menu, but are prohibited from using any prepared ingredients. Everything must be cooked on site.

Teams will be judged on meal taste, presentation, menu pricing, recipe structure and costing. Points are also awarded for cohesive teamwork and proper safety and sanitation procedures. Each student will also take part in a knife skills segment of the competition and will be asked to perform one of the following cuts: julienne, brunoise, chiffonade, medium dice, mince and diagonal.

Scholarships from post-secondary schools, prizes and a trip to the ProStart National Culinary Competition are at stake in this fast and furious contest of skill, organization and presentation.

The evening is capped off with the awards ceremony which will also include recognition of the Teacher of the Year, Mentor of the Year, and Student of the Year. The public is invited to come and cheer their favorite team along to victory; the Culinary Competition is open to the public from 8 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and is free of charge.

Competition Schedule

Competing Teams

We invite you to join us for the Awards Ceremony following the competition; tickets are available for $15 each and include an appetizer reception. Please download and fax this event registration form to reserve your seat.

The 2010 Culinary Competition is generously sponsored by Boyd’s Coffee Company, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Bon Appétit Management Company, Oregon Culinary Institute, and NW Culinary Academy. These sponsors are committed to fostering growth within the hospitality industry by inspiring the next generation of culinary talent. Thank you to these industry leaders for proactively ensuring the future of this successful industry in Oregon.

Thank you to all our ProStart program supporters!

The Oregon Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry in Oregon, which is comprised of over 9,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets, a work force of 120,000 employees, and a total economic impact of $9.7 billion. The Association works to represent, educate, and promote the rapidly growing industry.