ProStart Invitational

11th Annual PA ProStart Invitational

February 27, 2025, State College

ProStart students from across Pennsylvania are invited annually to compete in the Pennsylvania ProStart Invitational, a one-day event which allows students to showcase their skills and talents in restaurant management and culinary arts. This is our state’s qualifier for the National ProStart Invitational which takes place each spring in Baltimore, MD.

Congratulations 2024 PA ProStart Invitational Medalists:

Culinary Competition

1st – Crawford County Career and Technical Center

2nd – State College Area High School (team B)

3rd – Milton Hershey School

Management Competition

1st – Crawford County Career and Technical Center

2nd – Greene County CTC

3rd – Central Westmoreland CTC

Cake Decorating Competition

1st – Lebanon County Career & Technology Center

2nd – Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center

3rd – Monroe Career and Technical Institute (MCTI)

#PAPSI24 Photo Gallery

How does the competition work?

The Pennsylvania ProStart Invitational (PAPSI) is composed of three distinct competitions—management, culinary, and cake decorating (introduced in 2023)! Students must impress judges from leading industry businesses, colleges, and universities with skills they’ve developed through ProStart.

Management

Management teams develop a proposal for the next promising restaurant concept and pitch their idea to a panel of industry judges. Judges evaluate teams’ critical thinking skills and ability to react to management challenges with a Q&A session.

Culinary

The culinary competition highlights each team’s creative abilities through the preparation of a three-course meal in 60 minutes, using only two butane burners, and without access to running water or electricity. Students are evaluated on taste, skill, teamwork, safety and sanitation.

Cake Decorating

Cake decorating teams (1-2 students) will have 60 minutes to decorate a cake, pre-baked by the team offsite. Teams will be judged on their theme, icing, decorating, level of difficulty, consistency, safety/sanitation, and documentation.

Who can participate?

All high school students, currently enrolled in a confirmed ProStart program recognized by the NRAEF, who have been certified to represent their school or region at the Pennsylvania State competition are eligible to compete.

Competition Rules

Student Waiver

Registration:

Schools must register their teams using the digital form below by December 15, 2024.

Industry members – register as an exhibitor using the form below. Judging is full so consider signing on as a volunteer or sponsor of the event to support the students competing.

Team Registration

Exhibitor Registration

Sponsorship Opportunities

Elevate your brand, company mission, and organizational goals to an audience of fellow industry executives and the best of the restaurant industry’s next generation. Click the button below:

Sponsor PA ProStart