Top Chefs

Culinary students win national award

Carmen Hensley, Charles Salowich, Mazin Ahmed,
Sophie Dorado and Yamir Garver, culinary students
from Plymouth Canton Community Schools, won the
National ProStart championship during a
competition in Washington, D.C. last week.

The culinary arts team from Plymouth Canton Educational Park cooked up national honors last week as they battled 400 competitors to bring home the championship title.

The top 10 teams took home nearly $200,000 in scholarships during the 2023 National ProStart Invitational. The event featured a display of culinary talent and restaurant business acumen by more than 90 of the best and brightest high school teams from 46 states. All students competing in the 2023 National ProStart Invitational earned their place by winning their state-level ProStart Invitational competitions. 

The national competition is a high-stakes contest featuring some of the best culinary and restaurant management students in the country. Students on the culinary teams had 60 minutes to prepare a three-course, fine dining menu, using only two butane burners and no running water. 

Plymouth Canton culinary students Carmen Hensley,
Charles Salowich, Mazin Ahmed, Sophie Dorado and
Yamir Garver prepared their national award-winning
three course fine dining menu in 60 minutes using
only two butane burners and no running water. 

Plymouth-Canton team members, Carmen Hensley, Charles Salowich, Mazin Ahmed, Sophie Dorado and Yamir Garver went head-to-head against 45 fellow teams, earning the culinary title with a menu of soy-marinated tuna as a starter, strip steak and braised short rib with potato dauphinoise and puree. They completed their menu with a dessert of coconut Bavarian with orange-almond cake.  

“This year's National ProStart Invitational winners delivered exciting results when they brought creativity, passion, and initiative to the table,” said Michelle Korsmo, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association and CEO of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF). “The individuality of the students shines through in each culinary submission. And throughout the management competitions, we saw students with strong business acumen design thriving restaurant organizations. These competitors are the best of the best, and I know they will inspire other students to take a chance, create something new, and be part of this amazing restaurant community.” 

“The passion and talent displayed by this week's National ProStart Invitational competitors was truly awe-inspiring, giving us a front row seat to the next generation that will shape our industry,” said NRAEF President Rob Gifford. “Thanks to the daily work of our educators, ProStart is equipping these students with crucial career-building skills that will enhance their lives in the industry, or wherever their futures take them.”  

The awards were presented during a special ceremony May 4 in Washington, D.C. The 2023 National ProStart Invitational was sponsored in part by The Coca-Cola Company, DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS National Accounts, Ecolab, Golden Corral, Kellogg's, and Nestlé Professional.