Culinary 1st Place – Berkmar High School l-r: Raymond Mesa (GRA Foundation), Stephanie Fischer (GRA), Preston Gouge (Berkmar First Year ProStart Educator), Cynthia Gutierrez, Dulce Rosas, Ismene Lopez, Kim Sy, Bryan Benitez, Chef Daryl Shular (Lead Culinary Judge) photo credit: Brandon AmatoAt the 2025 National ProStart Invitational (NPSI), to be held May 2-4 in Baltimore, the culinary and management teams from Berkmar High School in Gwinnett County will join nearly 400 students on 92 other teams to test their skills in front of culinary and food-service business leaders and industry judges. The three-day event will feature an opening ceremony, two days of intense culinary and restaurant management competition, and an awards dinner. The top five teams from the culinary and management competitions will earn almost $200,000 in coveted scholarships to continue their restaurant or food-service educations.
Berkmar won the right to represent Georgia at the national competition by beating out seven other high schools at the Georgia ProStart Invitational held on March 21.
The National ProStart Invitational will highlight each team’s creative abilities by having them prepare a three-course meal in 60 minutes, using only two butane burners and without running water or electricity. Students are evaluated on taste, skill, teamwork, safety and sanitation. Teams in the management competition will develop a proposal for a promising restaurant concept and present it to industry judges. Their problem-solving skills are tested as they quickly solve challenges faced by managers daily.
“These young chefs have proven that with hard work and dedication, they have the opportunity to turn their culinary dreams into reality,” said Stephanie Fischer, President + CEO of the Georgia Restaurant Association. “I’m so excited to have Berkmar High School represent Georgia nationally when they compete in Baltimore.”
Other honors presented at the March 21 invitational included Chef Belinda Delvasto of Maxwell High School of Technology being named Georgia ProStart Educator of Excellence for her work in the classroom, and Dayla Brown, a Maxwell High School of Technology senior, winning Coca-Cola’s ProStart Student of the Year Award. Brown was awarded a scholarship to the college of her choice.
Supported by the Georgia Restaurant Association, ProStart is a high school program that gives students interested in food-service and hospitality careers a head start by teaching culinary techniques and management skills through an industry-driven curriculum. The program reaches nearly 150,000 students in more than 1,900 high schools across America.
Upon completing the ProStart program, students receive an industry-recognized certificate, and employers get well-prepared, enthusiastic employees. ProStart gives students a platform to discover and develop new interests and talents while teaching employability skills like teamwork, professional behavior, time management, and communication.
