Davie High School students who completed a pilot course focusing on culinary, hospitality and restaurant management brought home honors from a ProStart’s Culinary and Management competition in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The 12 students who completed ProStart I, a Career and Technical Education pilot course offered for the first time during the fall semester, participated in the competition. They were accompanied by instructor Darla Goldfuss.
The Culinary Team participated in two competitions, one of which required preparing a meal in 60 minutes to be judged on plating, sanitation, knife skills, appearance, time, taste and menu pricing. The Davie High team placed second in that competition.
The Culinary Team took first place in the recipe challenge.
The Davie High Management Team also brought home a first place in its competition. Both teams will be traveling to San Diego, Calif., in April to participate in the national competition.
While the course was being offered, Davie High staff members and various groups benefited from the talents and skills of the participants. Every Thursday morning, this group of students arrived around 6:30 a.m. to prepare food for “Snoozy’s Café,” which was open to faculty members.
This was quite a hit with faculty members. ProStart students also catered several events last semester, including a dinner theatre sponsored by the Fine Arts Department, FBLA’s Regional Competition (lunch and hospitality room items for sponsors and students) and a Rotary luncheon.
The ProStart I course was held in the school’s Family and Consumer Sciences lab, which received a much-needed facelift during renovations last summer. The lab, also used by Foods I and Foods II, serves eight sections each semester.
Three teachers schedule the use of the lab alternating with the use a traditional classroom.
Davie High will continue to expand its culinary, hospitality and restaurant management program next year by adding ProStart II, through which students will be able to continue to develop and refine their skills by doing internships in community businesses.