Questar III’s Culinary Arts instructors, Chef Peter Desmond and Chef Andrew Ottati, think that some of the best learning occurs outside of the classroom. They provide this opportunity to students through the annual ProStart competition, a high school competition primarily focused on culinary arts and restaurant management.
“I believe in giving students as much experience outside of the classroom as possible,” said Chef Desmond, Culinary Arts instructor at the Columbia-Greene Educational Center in Hudson.
This year’s state competition took place at Schenectady County Community College on February 26th and 27th.
The ProStart competition required two teams of students to perform industry-related tasks that showcase their knowledge and skills. One team was responsible for the cooking portion of the competition while the other team handled the management tasks.
Austin Greco participated on the cooking team from CGEC.
The task faced by the cooking team was to prepare an entire meal—appetizer, entrée and dessert—within a one hour time limit. They were allowed to use only two burners, which was an added challenge. In a competition that resembled a reality cooking show, students learned valuable teamwork and time management skills.
The management team consisted of four roles: general manager, marketing, front of the house and chef. The team was tasked with creating and presenting a complete restaurant concept. The plan included a restaurant name, type (Chef Desmond’s students decided to choose a sustainable and locally-sourced restaurant), layout, interior design, menu and pricing.
The students participated in a Q & A session following the presentation. Chef Desmond said this part of the competition let his students demonstrate how well thought out their restaurant was by answering questions on the spot. For example, the team was asked about how much items needed to be priced in order to make a profit and to explain why they chose certain hours of operation.
The management aspect of the competition required students to practice their business know-how and public speaking skills.
“The students learn that there is so much more to the culinary industry than the kitchen,” said Chef Desmond. “Even though we didn’t win this year, the students will tell you it was still worth it.”
Students from the Culinary Arts program at the Rensselaer Educational Center in Troy have also competed in past competitions but Chef Ottati said his students did not attend this year.
