Connecticut Restaurant Association Sponsors 2017 Subway Restaurant Connecticut ProStart Invitational

The Connecticut Restaurant Association and its charitable foundation, The Connecticut Hospitality and Education Foundation, will sponsor The 2017 Subway Restaurant Connecticut ProStart Invitational on Friday, March 3rd from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Gateway Community College at the downtown campus in New Haven, Connecticut.

Wilbur Cross High School, located in New Haven, and defending state champions Enfield High School will participate in the Culinary Competition, which will judge the schools in different categories ranging from knife skills to the production of a three course meal to clean-up. Things reverse in the Management Competition, where Enfield High School takes on defending state champion Wilbur Cross High School. Students will be judged on their own restaurant concept, menu development, restaurant design, staff organization and marketing techniques.

The winner of this year’s competition will go to the National ProStart Invitational to take place in Charleston, SC, April 28-30. Students will also be awarded over $200,000 in scholarship opportunities from culinary institutions including: Culinary Institute of America, Johnson & Wales University, the Art Institutes, Culinary Institute of Virginia, Louisiana Culinary Institute and Gateway Community College.

“We are always so proud and thrilled to sponsor this annual event; it is the ‘Iron Chef’ for these hardworking culinary students. It’s an excellent way for the teams to showcase all their hard work and everything they have learned. The culinary world is full of talented students,” says Sarah Maloney, Executive Director of the Connecticut Restaurant Association. “Restaurants are a major industry and we are lucky to have so many incredible restaurants in Connecticut. It all starts here, with our students learning the necessary critical skills required to enter the restaurant business and workforce,” says Maloney.

This year the sponsors of the event include Subway Restaurant, Gateway Community College, Falvey Linen, Max Restaurant Group, the Engine Room/Oyster Club, Sardilli’s, Plan B, Wood-n-Tap, Joey Garlic's, J. Timothy's, Grant’s Restaurant, and Connecticut Distributors.

“We love seeing the next generation of culinary artists grow and expand their talents. This competition and the work that the Connecticut Hospitality Educational Foundation does are important to highlighting up and coming talent,” said Michele DiNello, Director of Corporate Communications, Subway World HQ.

ProStart is the career-building program for high school students who are interested in culinary arts, restaurant and foodservice management. ProStart is an exciting two-year program where students study in the classroom, participate in mentored work experiences and test their skills in local and national competitions. Most importantly, ProStart students grow into the leaders the restaurant industry needs.

The national ProStart Program currently reaches more than 140,000 students at 1,800 high schools across 50 states, Guam and U.S. military bases at home and abroad. For 16 years, ProStart has provided high school students with the training they need to be successful. In Connecticut, there are 14 schools with over 1,300 students participating in the ProStart Program.

The Connecticut Restaurant Association provides a unified voice for an industry that employs over 145,000 people in Connecticut.

For more information on The Connecticut Restaurant Association or the ProStart Invitational please visit ctrestaurant.org/prostart.