During Summer Institutes, educators have the opportunity to:
- Earn restaurant/foodservice educator certification
- Learn from faculty composed of nationally recognized content experts
- Network among peers
- Tour restaurant and foodservice facilities
- Receive classroom materials
Here is what some of the ProStart educators had to say:
“This is the second Summer Institute I attended and I found each of them to make a tremendous impact on my teaching.” - Delaine Stendahl, 2014 Level 2 participant.
"As a culinary educator, more importantly a ProStart culinary educator, I can tell you there is nothing more valuable to your professional development than the NRAEF summer institutes sponsored by Darden! " - Sandra Hawk, 2014 Level 4 participant.
Level 1 - Basic
Begins with an overview of the restaurant and foodservice industry, and leads into kitchen and management essentials.
Prerequisite: None
Topic Highlights: Food safety, kitchen essentials, stocks, sauces, soups, management essentials
Learn more details about Level 1
Level 2 - Advanced
Topics include core culinary techniques, operational excellence, and career basics.
Prerequisite: Level 1 or waiver
Topic Highlights: Meat, poultry, seafood, Customer service, Fruits and vegetables, Purchasing
Learn more details about Level 2
Level 3 - Mastery
Level 3 concludes culinary techniques, before branching into timely topics like sustainability and global cuisines.
Prerequisite: Level 1 or waiver, and Level 2
Topic Highlights: Sustainability, Baking, Global cuisines, Marketing
Learn more details about Level 3
Level 4 - Spotlight Series
Content is determined by the host school, and is timely and topical.
Prerequisite: Level 1 or waiver, Level 2, and Level 3
Topic Highlights: Greening your kitchen, Farm-to-plate menus, Artisan bread baking, Coffee roasting, Pastry, Chocolate
Learn more details about Level 4