ProStart Teacher Training Institute
We look forward to seeing all registered teachers at the 20th Annual ProStart Teacher Training Institute (TTI) this month! The agendas will be finalized soon and emailed to participants, along with driving directions, lab attire and general guidelines.
The FRLAEF along with its sponsors cover the cost of the training, dorm stay and some meals. Travel to and from the event is on your own. If you are booking a flight to TTI, plan on arriving Sunday afternoon or evening (June 19). The training begins with breakfast at 6:30 AM Monday, June 20. On Friday, June 24 the week will conclude with a 40-question exam. Based on our experience, you should be finished testing by 2:00 PM but you may take as long as you need.
Returning attendees–don’t forget your knife kits! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Laura or Amy.
Hospitality Industry Internships
The Hospitality Industry Internship (HII) provides the opportunity for Florida ProStart instructors to work in a foodservice establishment for at least 40 hours. At the completion of 40 work hours, the HII recipient will receive a check for $600 from the FRLAEF. Several ProStart teachers completed an HII during the 2015-2016 school year. We will be sharing some of these teacher’s experiences over the next few months.
This month’s HII profile is Lorie Savoca (pictured at right with her students). Lorie came to be a ProStart teacher as a career-changer. She worked for 12 years as a material handler/forklift operator for a large pharmac
eutical company. When they relocated, Lori took the opportunity to follow her passion for cooking and sewing and received a degree in family and consumer science from Rowan College of New Jersey. After graduation she substitute taught for 9 years until she found her current position at Flagler Palm Coast High School as a culinary arts teacher. She just completed her 14th year in this position.
This is her second time participating in a Hospitality Industry Internship. The first time she worked back of the house. This time I was in the front of the house of a very busy restaurant, Oceanside Beach Bar & Grill. “I have been able to share many of the experiences I have had with my students, and it has led to some very lively discussions about customer service and business management”, Savoca said.
If you are interested in completing an HII, be on the lookout for the application in the August and September NewsBites.
Clay County Teacher Retires
After almost four decades of teaching, Meri-lin Piantanida (pictured at right), ProStart teacher at Keystone Heights High School in Clay County has retired. We appreciate all your years of service, Meri-lin and wish you a fun and adventurous retirement! 
Meri-lin has been teaching the ProStart curriculum for 10 years. Here is what she had to say about working with the ProStart program:
Florida’s ProStart culinary programs have benefited greatly from the exemplary teacher training opportunities the FRLAEF have provided in concert with Johnson and Wales University. I grew professionally from the summer institute (TTI) experiences in ways that cannot be described and from the networking with other Florida culinary instructors. Often we teach in isolation and are able to share curriculum, teaching, fundraising, and food production ideas with one another during the summer.
I also appreciate the top notch training the FRLAEF provided our students through Regional Workshops. Our students learn and build skills from the best chef instructors in the state and nation. The Florida ProStart Culinary Competition is so well organized and is provided with very little cost to our programs. I always come away from the competition amazed and beaming with pride at the accomplishment of our high school students. The work that goes into preparing students for this competition is phenomenal and our students just shine.
In addition, thank you for FRLAEF’s financial support by offsetting the cost of competition, certifications, and improving our programs with annual grants. I want you to know how much my three students have benefited from the scholarships they received from FRLAEF to further their educations following high school. We are so lucky to have this kind of support!
The last ten years of my near forty year teaching career have been very happy years for me and I attribute much of it to the partnership with FRLAEF.
James Brock Scholarship Application Now Available
Students attending Daytona State College, Florida International University, Florida State University or University of Central Florida in the fall are eligible to apply for the James Brock Scholarship. This scholarship is available for your graduating seniors and for former students as well.
In order to be eligible for this scholarship the applicant must:
• Be enrolled at Daytona State College, Florida International University, Florida State University, or University of Central Florida
• Be entering or continuing in a culinary or hospitality post-secondary program — Fall 2016 term
• Return an OFFICIAL transcript to FRLAEF by application deadline
The scholarship amount fluctuates from year to year. The typical scholarship ranges from $1,000 to $2,500. This is a one-time, non-renewable award.
CLICK HERE for the application
Application deadline: Friday, July 22, 2016
Applicants notified award status by: Friday, September 23, 2016
COA How-To & Best Practices
ProStart students are eligible to earn the National ProStart Certificate of Achievement (COA). This Certificate gives students 
access to national and statewide articulation agreements and scholarship opportunities.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITES
PROSTART EXAMS
Student must take and pass the Level One and Level Two ProStart Exams.
(If you need help administering ProStart exams or ordering scantrons, click here.)
WORK EXPERIENCE
Student must work at least 400 hours in the foodservice industry. This school year (2015-2016), all 400 of the required work hours may be signed off by the instructors. If the instructor signs off on any hours, the hours signed off on by the instructor must be earned outside of the regular class time (i.e. time not required for the student’s class grade). Practicing for competition or attending a workshop does not count toward the required work hours.
STUDENT MUST REGISTER ON PROSTART WEBSITE
Students must register at the ProStart website. Students need to use their legal name each time they take a ProStart exam. This enables NRAEF to locate their record easily. See article below if student is not seeing both their exams under their name.
Once a student has passed either the Level One or Level Two ProStart exam (Foundations), their COA process officially begins. The student may log in and enter Work Experience Hours (click on image to enlarge):
Students must submit a signed copy of the Work Experience Checklist to the teacher.
TEACHER RESPONSIBILITIES
Teachers must be registered as a ProStart Educator at the ProStart website. Instructions are in the link above if you have not completed this step. Please note the new section under Educator Services: MANAGE COA’s:
Teachers can search for any student at the school to see the status of a student’s COA application:
COA applications are connected to the teacher who administered the student’s most recent exam.
Teachers must examine and confirm work experience documentation.
Teachers must examine and confirm the student’s Work Experience Checklist to make sure 52 out or 70 competencies were reached.
Teachers then send all documentation to Amy Parker–you may scan and email, fax or mail.
FRLAEF Responsibilities
The FRLAEF will be notified whenever an educator has approved a COA application. After reviewing and confirming the documentation, the FRLAEF may approve a student’s COA application. Once the application is approved a certificate will be awarded and mailed directly to the student using the address that student has in his/her profile. Students will receive a reminder to check the address in their profile before the COA is mailed.
CLICK HERE for PowerPoint instructions.
CLICK HERE for instructions in pdf format.
ProStart COA: Help With Merging Student Records
The COA (ProStart Certificate of Achievement) application system now has simplified record merging. One of the biggest challenges with the new online COA Application system is when students are registered but login and don’t see their exam scores in their student profiles. The students may now load exam results on their own, in most cases without Service Center assistance. To add the exam records to their “Track COA Progress” page, students will need their Exam Session Number(s) Here’s how it works:
1. The student should log in to the NRAEF website and go to Track COA Progress (in the drop-down menu under “Students”).
2. From that page, if there is a missing exam score, the students should return to the Student tab and then select “Exams” from the dropdown menu.
3. The student should then select “Check My Scores”.
4. On the next page the student can enter the exam session number in that box and then click “Find My Record”. The page will reload and there will be a message confirming that the exam record has been tied to their profiles.
NOTE: If the student’s name in the exam record(s) and the profile created during registration does not match exactly, (i.e. if the student took the exam as Jim Smith and registered as Jimmy Smith), the Service Center will need to facilitate the merge.
Five Culinary Positions Open
CLAY COUNTY — Culinary Arts Instructor Opening at Keystone Heights High School in Clay County (North East Florida). The teaching position is for a full time culinary arts instructor at a 7-12th grade high school starting in August. The culinary arts facilities are state of the art and completely renovated in the summer of 2015. The program has an excellent reputation in the community and with local business partners. For more information contact the School District of Clay County at www.OneClay.net or the school at (352)473-5920.
MARION COUNTY — There is a Culinary position at Marion Technical Institute in Ocala. Contact Michael Fritch for more information at Michael.fritch@marion.k12.fl.us.
ST. LUCIE COUNTY — Culinary Arts Instructor Opening at Fort Pierce Westwood High School in St. Lucie County. The teaching position is for a full time culinary arts instructor. The program has an excellent reputation in the community and with local business partners. For more information contact Michael Carbenia at St Lucie Public Schools Michael.carbenia@stlucieschools.org or (772)429-3963.
DUVAL COUNTY – Culinary Arts Instructor opening at Frank H Peterson Academy of Tech in Jacksonville. Interested candidates should contact Antonio Banks, 904-573-1150, ext. 1047.
Save the Date For Second Annual Recipe Contest
Coming in November 2016 . . .
UCF Creates Entertainment Management Degree with $5 Million Donation
The Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida has received a $5 million private donation to
establish a Bachelor of Science degree in Entertainment Management starting Fall 2016. The donor wishes to remain anonymous. This four-year undergraduate program will focus on the managerial aspects of entertainment and is the first of its kind to be offered by a SACS-accredited public institution in the United States.The B.S. in Entertainment Management, offered in partnership with the College of Arts and Humanities, will provide a career path for students seeking employment as business practitioners versus performers in the nearly $1.5 trillion international entertainment industry. According to a 2015 report from AnythingResearch, the entertainment industry is anticipated to grow by an annual average of 4.4 percent through 2019, so graduates will enter a job market with immediate demand for entertainment management education. Graduates may pursue careers in a variety of entertainment industry sectors, including live performances and events, historical/cultural/educational exhibits, digital media, film enterprises, tourism attractions, experiential hospitality-related products, special events, sporting events and recreational or leisure activities.Entertainment Management students will be immersed in the business side of entertainment in the key areas of design, engineering, operations, finance and marketing to equip them to identify, create and manage successful entertainment products. The program will also develop important management skills, including leadership, communication, critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork, to prepare graduates for management roles in private and non-profit organizations. Rosen College’s location and industry relationships will ensure students benefit from exposure to national and global entertainment leaders in the classroom and superior internship and job placement opportunities.Students pursuing the B.S. in Entertainment Management will take classes at Rosen College and the College of Arts and Humanities to complete the 120-credit-hour program, which complements a variety of other disciplines. Undergraduates pursuing degrees in music, theater, hospitality, event management and business can double major in entertainment management and graduate with a competitive edge.UCF will begin accepting applications for the B.S. in Entertainment Management in early April 2016. For more information, visit hospitality.ucf.edu/entertainment or contact Rosen College at 407-903-8000 or entertainment@ucf.edu.
NRAEF Scholarships + Infographics
This year the NRAEF created a new application process designed to be more user-friendly and to help match applicants with the scholarship they are best qualified for. Once logged in, applicants can save their work and resume the application process at any time prior to the application deadline date.
Some scholarships have different deadlines. For example, the Supply Chain Management Scholarship had an application deadline in March of 2016. Please pay attention to deadline dates.
Every applicant will be notified of the status of their application approximately 6-8 weeks from the deadline date.
Click here for the scholarship page that contains a link to all applications.
INFOGRAPHICS
NRAEF has several useful infographics on their site right now that were developed after a major research study. Detailing the opinions of nearly 5,100 Americans who currently work or formerly worked in the industry, as well as those who own or operate restaurants, the study offers compelling insight into the sense of pride, optimism and opportunity among the restaurant workforce.
WebstaurantStore Scholarship
WebstaurantStore, a leading online restaurant supply store, is offering an annual scholarship to all culinary arts and hospitality students. The winning applicant will receive $1,500 towards the cost of their education.
Attached is a flyer with a brief overview of the scholarship for your reference, but all of the application details and the 2016 essay question are available on our website at http://www.webstaurantstore.com/scholarship.
Application is due by June 15, 2016.
Contact Evan Mellott with any questions:
Evan Mellott | Community Outreach
e: emellott@webstaurantstore.com
Summer 2016 Yellowstone National Park Employment Opportunities
For a number of years Yellowstone has had success hiring ProStart students. Yellowstone National Park Lodges is operated by Xanterra Parks and Resorts and provides services for more than three million visitors who come to Yellowstone National Park each year. They have a multitude of positions within the Food and Beverage industry. Click here for information about their Culinary Apprentice program and Culinary and Hospitality Internship Program.
Along with offering the best backyard in the United States they also offer the following;
Room and Board: Housing is dormitory style and includes utilities, internet, and free laundry. Food is all you can eat/ 3 meals per day. Cost is based on hours work but will not exceed $206.05 per pay check.
Pay: Base wage is $8.75 per hour for entry level positions
Bonus: Applicants receive a $3.00 per day bonus at the completion of their agreement.
New this year starting in mid-September all employees will receive a $2.00 per hour bonus until mid-October.
Apprenticeship: For students pursuing the culinary field we also offer an apprenticeship program.
Transfer Program: Applicants wishing to pursue a career and benefits with Xanterra can request to transfer to one of their other parks or stay on in Yellowstone for their winter season.
When hired, applicants will receive detailed information about their first day of employment, where they arrive and what to expect. They do not pay for travel to Yellowstone but they do pick employees up in Bozeman, Montana if they are traveling by bus or airplane.
The application is available on line at www.yellowstonejobs.com.
Chipotle’s Culinary Classroom Series
Chipotle is partnering with high school culinary programs to share some of the techniques they use at Chipotle everyday through a series of curated culinary videos.
The video series is part of their commitment to changing the way people think about and eat fast food—an effort that requires fresh ingredients, classical cooking techniques and exceptionally trained people, like the ones whose skills you’re sharpening every day.
For an interactive pdf that contains direct links to the videos, CLICK HERE. There are four culinary videos including Knife Skills, Mise en Place, Managing a Kitchen, and Tasting and Understanding Flavors.
Level One ProStart Exam Correction
A Level Two ProStart question was included in the Level One ProStart (Foundations of Restaurant Management & Culinary Arts) exam. That question has been removed from the Level One exam and replaced. As a result, the Level One exam has been re-issued as a new Exam Form. The new form is currently available on the Educator site. If you have already downloaded the Level One exam, please delete it and get the new exam from the ProStart website.