CATC Teacher is ProStart Educator of the Year

The RI Hospitality Education Foundation announced that (CACTC) culinary educator, Chef Martha Sylvestre, was the recipient of the 2012 ProStart Educator Excellence Award. She recently joined 33 other top educators in Chicago for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s (NRAEF) ProStart Educator Excellence Awards ceremony.

“ProStart unites the industry and the classroom to create a unique and unparalleled experience for students.  The Rhode Island Hospitality Education Foundation couldn’t be more proud of our dedicated ProStart educators who  are working diligently to create that vital bridge for their students,” said Dale Venturini, President & CEO of RIHEF. “Martha embodies all that make ProStart educators successful – inspiration, leadership, and collaboration. She is very deserving of this honor.”

Chef Sylvestre has been teaching at CACTC for the past 13 years. She attended Johnson and Wales University where she obtained an Associates degree in Culinary Arts, a Bachelors degree in Food Service Management and a Masters degree in Food Service Education. She has held previous hospitality positions with various local restaurants, boats, private homes and owned a catering business in Bristol, RI. She also currently works part time at Wright’s Mill Farm in Canterbury, CT where she resides with her husband, son, and the family’s animals.

The NRAEF’s ProStart Educator Excellence Awards recognize an exceptional educator from every state who utilizes the ProStart program in his/her classroom.  Awardees were flown to Chicago and hosted by the NRAEF from May 5-7, 2012.