ProStart Invitational

12th Annual PA ProStart Invitational

February 24, 2026 | Hershey, PA

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 2025 PA ProStart Invitational Medalists:

Culinary Competition

1st – Milton Hershey School

2nd – Monroe Career and Technical Institute (Armstrong Team)

3rd – Beaver County Career & Technology Center

Management Competition

1st – Greene County CTC

2nd – Milton Hershey School

3rd – Central Westmoreland CTC (Team B)

Cake Decorating Competition

1st – Lebanon County Career & Technology Center

2nd – Monroe Career and Technical Institute (Picarello Team)

3rd – Monroe Career and Technical Institute (Armstrong Team)

#PAPSI25 Photo Gallery

How does the competition work?

The Pennsylvania ProStart Invitational (PAPSI) is composed of three distinct competitions—management, culinary, and cake decorating. 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 100 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:

Registration for the 2026 PA ProStart Invitational will be available during fall of 2025.

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