An energetic crowd numbering close to 1,100 gathered July 21 at Broken Top Golf Course in Bend to enjoy culinary creations at Central Oregon’s most upscale food event. Assisting the twenty guest chefs from around the world included five ProStart students, who had the opportunity to work side-by-side with the chefs helping prepare and then plating the final products.

Bend High School students Andrea Weiser, Felicia Firkus, and Becky Eastman as well as Mountain View High School student Jessi Neff and Redmond High School student Joe Reynolds were on hand to assist chefs during the intense prep time the day before and the morning of the event. The skills that the students had learned in their ProStart culinary class came in handy as they chopped, pureed and diced their way towards the Sagebrush Classic Feast that started at 5pm on Saturday.

As hundreds of people swarmed the chef tents at the Feast in search of culinary treasures, the ProStart students assisted with plating up the food and were able to get a first-hand glimpse at food and beverage preparations from start-to-finish for large events.

“I’m having a blast,” gushed Weiser, who will be a senior at Bend High this next school year. In fact, she and fellow student Becky Eastman were so excited about volunteering that when the call went out on the morning of the event for additional volunteer help, both girls answered. They showed up early in the morning before their scheduled shift. Considering both are high school students on summer vacation, this is a testament to their commitment to the hospitality industry and their work ethic.

The flow of the event was very smooth, with students working like clockwork assisting the chefs in handing out their food. The excitement of working with renowned chefs was not lost on Weiser. She enthusiastically asked each of the participating chefs to sign her Sagebrush Classic chef coat to preserve the memory of working with such esteemed culinarians. The chefs happily complied and
Weiser and the rest of the ProStart students went home with great memories of having contributed to such a major culinary event in Central Oregon.

All the students who signed up as volunteers have careers in the culinary industry in mind, and plan on attending post-secondary school to further their training. Joe Reynolds indicated that he wants to be a pastry chef, and is not only taking culinary classes at Redmond High School, but is a current employee at the Brasada Resort as well.

The Oregon Restaurant Education Foundation would like to extend special recognition to Deschutes Brewing and the Sagebrush Classic for providing this incredible opportunity to the future of the hospitality industry, and for the generous gifts of chef coats and event polos to the students.