National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

Restaurants Advance Leadership Awards Dinner 2023
2023-06-20 | JW Marriott Washington, DC, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, 20004, United States
Restaurants Advance Leadership Awards Dinner - June 20, 2023
At the National Restaurant Association's Public Affairs Conference

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MFHA Roundtable - Los Angeles, CA
2023-06-13 08:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Cheesecake Factory Headquarters, Los Angeles, CA, United States
MFHA Roundtable - Los Angeles, CA

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National Restaurant Association Show 2023
2023-05-20 - 2023-05-23 | McCormick Place, Chicago, IL, United States
National Restaurant Association Show 2023
McCormick Place, Chicago, IL

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Military Foodservice Awards & Training 2023
2023-05-19 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Palmer House Hilton, Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, IL, United States
Military Foodservice Awards
May 19, 2023

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National ProStart Invitational 2023
2023-05-02 - 2023-05-04 | Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, WA, 20009, United States
National ProStart Invitational
May 2–4, 2023

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Ted J. Balestreri Leadership Classic 2023
2023-03-01 - 2023-03-04 | Pebble Beach, Pebble Beach, CA, 93953, United States
PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA
March 1–4, 2023

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Educators of Excellence Awards
2022-07-20 - 2022-07-22 | The LINQ Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, United States
ProStart Educator Excellence Awards 2022
Honoring State Educators Of The Year

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The NRAEF ProStart National Educator of Excellence Awards (EEA) recognize educators who demonstrate excellence in the classroom and passion, commitment and creativity in all aspects of the ProStart program to help their students make the most of the opportunities that ProStart offers. Their stories inspire ProStart educators and supporters across the globe.
On Sunday, May 8, 2022 at the National ProStart Invitational Awards Gala, the following national EEA awards were announced.

EEA Classroom Expertise Award
Stephanie Kunkel, Jackson High School, Massillon, Ohio

EEA Best Practice & Knowledge Sharing Award
Dominic Hawkes, Lancaster County School District Career Center, Lancaster, South Carolina

EEA Industry Connections Award:
Daniel Wagner, an educator at Greene County Career & Technology Center in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania

EEA James H. Maynard Teacher Of The Year Award
Ben Rengstorf, Roosevelt High School, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Established over a decade ago as a tribute to Golden Corral’s founder, James Maynard, this award honors one EEA winner for their tireless dedication to providing remarkable experiences to their ProStart students. The annual honoree receives a gift of $10,000.

2022 ProStart Educators of Excellence State Awardees
Each participating state restaurant association nominates its leading educator who has demonstrated a strong commitment to his or her students and to the ProStart Program.
AlabamaDoug Allen, Pelham High School, Helena
AlaskaPaulette Ditzler, Chugiak High School, Eagle River
CaliforniaStacy Chatfield, Fortuna Union High School, Arcata
ColoradoChris Hill, Westminster High School, Westminster
ConnecticutJoshua Ogrodowski, Enfield High School, Enfield
DelawareChristopher Shultz, Polytech High School, Harrington
FloridaSusan Dougherty, (Frank H.) Peterson Academy of Technology, Jacksonville
GeorgiaElissa Oliver, Riverwood International Charter School, Atlanta
IllinoisThomas Dwyer, Oswego High School, Oswego
IndianaBrian Mendenhall, Central Nine Career Center, Greenwood
IowaAndrea Kuhl, Sergeant Bluff-Luton High School, Sioux City
LouisianaAllison Armand, Pearl River High School, Pearl River
MarylandSarah (Fran) Freeberg, Annapolis High School, Annapolis
MassachusettsSamantha Clarke, Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School, Fairhaven
MaineChef Heidi Parent, Capital Area Technical Center, Augusta
MichiganClint Frenette, Sanilac Career Center, Peck
MinnesotaBen Rengstorf, Roosevelt High School, Minneapolis
MissouriAndrea O’Bannon, Normandy Schools Collaboratiave High School, St. Louis
NebraskaMallory Gregory, Milford Public Schools, Milford
NevadaMichael Hadobas, Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas
New HampshireKeith Desjardin, Pinkerton Academy, Derry
New JerseyRon Ossi, Passaic County Technical Institute, Highland Lakes
New YorkAndrew Ottati, Questar III: Rensselaer Educational Center, Troy
North CarolinaLauren Reneau, South Mecklenburg High School, Charlotte
OhioStephanie Kunkel, Jackson High School, Massillon
PennsylvaniaDaniel Wagner, Greene County Career & Technology Center, Waynesburg
Rhode IslandSara Reilly, Chariho Career & Technical Center, Wood River Junction
South CarolinaDominic Hawkes, Lancaster County School District Career Center, Lancaster
South DakotaJanelle Whempner, Sioux Falls Career and Technical Education Academy, Sioux Falls
UtahCandace Wilson, Westlake High School, Saratoga Springs
VermontDavid Groenewold, River Valley Technical Center, Springfield
VirginiaRonald J. Evans, Potomac High School, Dumfries
West VirginiaBrian Covell, Monongalia Technical Education Center, Morgantown
WisconsinJamie Lutz, Badger High School, Kenosha

Military Foodservice Awards
2022-05-20 08:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Palmer House Hilton, Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, IL, United States
Military Foodservice Awards

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The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation will again recognize excellence in military foodservice through evaluations, recognition, and training. To mark their momentous accomplishments, the Foundation will host a virtual celebration for 2021.
Join us on Facebook Live – June 9, 6:30pm EDT – for highlights from the traveler’s program and base evaluations, announcements and recognition of each winning base, and messages from supporters and military leadership.

RSVP and attend the live event on Facebook

Watch the 2020 recording here

More About The Event

For more than 60 years, the National Restaurant Association and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation have recognized excellence in military foodservice through evaluations, recognition, and training. Branches send winners from around the world to Chicago to receive awards for best-in-class food quality, food safety, cost effectiveness and efficiency.
While the 2020 Military Foodservice Awards Dinner, originally scheduled for May 15, was cancelled due to COVID-19, the Foundation recognized the importance of celebrating this year’s award winners, representing all branches of the military.
To mark their momentous accomplishments, the Foundation hosted a virtual celebration. The program included an introduction to the NRAEF Military Program and Military Foodservice Awards, highlights from the traveler’s program and base evaluations, announcements and recognition of each winning base, and messages from supporters, military leadership and more!

Military Foodservice Awards Dinner Sponsorship Opportunities
Elevate your brand, company mission, and goals by supporting those who enhance the quality of life for those who serve.

To get involved

Typically held during the annual National Restaurant Association Show, individuals and teams from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces are honored at the Military Foodservice Awards Dinner and ceremony. Awardees are recognized for their commitment to foodservice excellence in management effectiveness, force readiness support, food quality, employee and customer relations, resource conservation, and training and safety awareness.

Get in Touch
Interested in getting involved with the Apprenticeship program?

CONTACT NRAEF

National ProStart Invitational
2022-05-06 - 2022-05-08 | Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, WA, 20009, United States
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NPSI 2022!
After two years, the National ProStart Invitational returned, live and in person!
May 6 – 8, 2022Washington Hilton1919 Connecticut Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20009

Read about the NPSI 2022 Results
Watch the 2022 NPSI Video Recap
Watch the Awards Gala Recorded on Vimeo
Watch the Opening Ceremonies Recorded on Facebook

The National ProStart Invitational® (NPSI) is the country’s premier secondary school competition focused on restaurant management and culinary arts. Annually, nearly 400 student competitors put their skills to the test in front of industry leaders, NRAEF Trustees, state restaurant associations, and family and friends – all with hopes of earning coveted scholarships from the nation’s best culinary and restaurant management programs.

How The Competition Works
Students must impress judges from leading industry corporations, colleges and universities with skills they’ve developed through ProStart. The National ProStart Invitational is composed of two distinct competitions – management and culinary.

Management
Management teams develop a proposal for the next promising restaurant concept and present it to a panel of industry judges. Their problem solving skills are tested as they quickly solve challenges faced by managers daily.

Culinary
The culinary competition highlights each team’s creative abilities through the preparation of a three-course meal in 60 minutes, using only two butane burners, and without access to running water or electricity. Students are evaluated on taste, skill, teamwork, safety and sanitation.

2022 Rules And Regulations

What Do You Win?
The top five teams from the culinary and management competitions are awarded generous educational scholarships to help further their careers in the restaurant and foodservice industry. In 2022, more than $200,000 in scholarships were awarded to winning students.
All competitors are encouraged to take full advantage of competing at the National ProStart Invitational by networking with other students and industry professionals in attendance.

See 2022 Winners & Highlights Here

NPSI 2023 Sponsorship Opportunities
Elevate your brand, company mission, and organizational goals to an audience of fellow industry executives and the best of the restaurant industry’s next generation.
Email us: partnerships@nraef.org

Have Questions?
If you are an educator, mentor, chaperone, parent or school administrator, please contact yourProStart State Coordinator with questions.
Go to Coordinators page
If you are a judge, development guest, board member, exhibitor, post-secondary school, or SRA rep, please direct questions to your NRAEF contact or prostart@nraef.org.
