High school students from 39 states to compete in ProStart

The National Restaurant Association announced that 39 states, territories and districts will be sending ProStart high school students to compete at the eighth annual National ProStart Invitational from April 24 to 26 at the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center in San Diego. At this fast-paced competition, teams of students that won first place in their state culinary and/or management competitions will compete for the national title, as well as scholarships to continue their education at colleges and universities across the country. In 2008, $1.3 million in scholarships were awarded to winning students.

The complete roster of states, territories and districts sending teams of students to participate in the culinary and/or management competitions includes: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C., West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. A total of 275 students will be competing in the National ProStart Invitational.