The North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association, which represents the state’s $23 billion restaurant, food-service and lodging industry,  announced that Henderson County Career Academy and North Buncombe High School won first place in the 2018 North Carolina ProStart Invitational presented by Golden Corral.

The culinary arts and restaurant management competition is organized by the association’s philanthropic arm, the N.C. Hospitality Education Foundation.

West Rowan High School in Mount Ulla took third place in management. Davie High School in Mocksville took fifth place in management.

The 2018 invitational was Feb. 26-27 at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte. High school students from across North Carolina put their skills to the test in front of industry leaders, family and friends with the hopes to earn more than $1 million in scholarships — awarded to first-, second- and third-place teams — to top culinary schools across the country.

More than 100 ProStart students, made up of 18 teams from across the state, demonstrated their mastery of skills in the fast-paced competition.

Both Henderson County Career Academy and North Buncombe High advance to the National ProStart Invitational in Providence, Rhode Island, on April 27-29. 

“North Carolina’s hospitality industry is thriving, and demand for talent to meet job growth is at an all-time high. We are proud to be a part of a program that continues to prepare the industry’s future leaders for a fulfilling career in the restaurant and hospitality industry,” said Lynn Minges, president and CEO of the hospitality association and foundation. “These students have demonstrated amazing competencies during the annual North Carolina ProStart competition. There is no doubt that they will make us proud as they advance to the National ProStart Invitational in Providence, Rhode Island, this April.”

The management competition requires teams to develop a proposal for a promising restaurant concept and present it to the panel of industry judges. Students must communicate their entrepreneurial ideas and use problem-solving skills to solve challenges faced by managers daily.

 The ProStart program is used in more than 1,700 high schools in 50 states and Guam and on U.S. military bases and reaches nearly 120,000 secondary students annually.