Milton Hershey School Students Compete at 2019 National ProStart Invitational

Culinary and restaurant management students from the Milton Hershey School traveled to Washington, D.C. May 8th-10th to compete at the 2019 National ProStart Invitational (#NPSI2019). After taking first place in both culinary and management competitions at the Pennsylvania ProStart Invitational in February, these students moved on to put their skills to the test against other top teams from across the United States. 

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Management Competition
Milton Hershey's management team, consisting of students Kenny Carpio-Lazo, Portia Cruz, and Davan Hanley, presented their original restaurant concept for "Good to Go"—a quick service airport restaurant offering made-to-order smoothies and healthy meal and snack options for travelers on the move. During seven rounds of judging, the students pitched their proposal to industry professionals, answering critical-thinking questions regarding restaurant management, marketing, and operations.

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Culinary Competition
Culinary team members Kenny Carpio-Lazo, Sophy Ingram, Chloe Newton, Dayton Suter, and Davan Hanley (team manager) worked together to prepare a three-course meal using only two butane burners and without access to running water or electricity in just 60 minutes. Their menu included:

• Appetizer: Smoked Tomato Salad served inside of Toasted Tomato-Basil Bread with Mascarpone-Chive Burrata and Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Entree: Seared Venison Loin with Raspberry Port Wine Sauce, Squash Ribbons, Mushroom Duxelle Fondant Potatoes, and Marinated Red Onions with Mint and Sumac
• Dessert: Blushing Apple Tart with Cinnamon and Goat Cheese Filling, Browned Butter and Walnut Oat Crust, and Salted Caramel Sauce

We are proud of our management team for placing 20th out of 42 teams, and culinary for placing 14th out of 46 teams. Great job to these students for putting out an excellent effort and representing Pennsylvania well! Take a look at our photo album here to view more snapshots from #NPSI2019.