Students at EG are learning the art of the restaurant. EG is currently hosting a “ProStart” program for students who are interested in becoming culinary artists or restaurateurs.
“ProStart” is a two year national program that’s affiliated with the National Restaurant Association. Students who participate in the program are given the opportunity to learn about restaurants, ranging from the history of restaurants and even getting hands-on time with cooking restaurant-style food.
“We start off with the history of restaurants, and then they learn about safety and equipment,” Family Consumer Science teacher Theresa Dale said. “The biggest thing is safety and sanitation.”
The “ProStart” program also kicks off internship opportunities for the students involved.
By participating in the program, the students receive 120 hours of work, but they are required to do a total of 400 hours of work both inside and outside of the class.
“I decided to enroll because I liked cooking, and I knew that I wanted to do something with business,” senior Gina Cirrincione said. “I didn’t know if the food industry, like business management and opening up my own restaurant, would be something I would be interested in.”
After their first year, if the student wants to move on to the second level of the “ProStart” program (“ProStart 2”), they need to take a test and need to get at least 70%.
However, the end results are well worth it, according to Dale.
“When they’re done with the two years, they have a bigger chance of getting hired, a bigger chance of getting into culinary school and a bigger chance of earning a scholarship as well,” Dale said.
The program also host a series of events for their students to participate in. The most recent one, held on Thursday, Oct. 3, has the students whip up dishes and serve them to Elk Grove staff members for lunch.
“Each cooking group made their own little sample of something; I made chicken caesar salad bites,” Cirrincione said. “ A bunch of staff members came in, and they tasted all of the food. There were probably about ten different recipes. They were just able to see what we’ve been doing. We were really happy because it took a lot of planning, and we were able to prepare something for people other than just ourselves.”
More events will be held throughout the year, including a judged cooking contest being held sometime in second semester.
“I think [my favorite part is] all the different people I’ve been able to meet and the friendships that I’ve been able to make that I wouldn’t have been able to make otherwise, and it just makes it all that more enjoyable,” Cirrincione said.
By Alex Ostrowski