The culinary challenge for the student chefs was to prepare a three-course gourmet meal with only two butane burners in under an hour. Crook County High School pulled this off with excellence, winning top honors in the culinary competition at the Oregon Hospitality Foundation’s Oregon ProStart Championships in Salem on Monday. On the restaurant management side, Salem-Keizer CTEC took first place for their new restaurant concept, earning them a trip alongside Crook County to Baltimore, Maryland to compete in the National ProStart Invitational this May.
“The atmosphere at this event was electric,” said Courtney Smith, ProStart manager for the Oregon Hospitality Foundation. “Our ProStart instructors do such a remarkable job preparing high school students with fundamental skills such as communication, teamwork, time management and professionalism needed to enter the workforce. And we saw all this at work in the competition.”
Crook County’s menu included an appetizer of Ancho chile-rubbed white shrimp sauteed with sweet roasted corn, caramelized carrots, jalapeño, pistachios, and finished with a kiss of creme fraise placed in an avocado rose. The entrée showcased a pan-seared Sockeye salmon, and their dessert was a decadent Icebox coconut cheesecake with pistachio white chocolate crust.
Salem-Keizer CTEC’s restaurant concept presented “an enchanting dining experience that transports guests to a whimsical woodland, where nature, magic, and gastronomy intertwine.” The team developed the new concept to focus on farm-to-table cuisine with a nature-themed ambiance. This is the second year in a row CTEC has placed first in this competition. Restaurant management concepts are scored on eleven required components from menu design to marketing.
Additional awards presented at the event:
- Oregon ProStart Student of the Year — Tayah Hagensee, Crook County High School
- Oregon ProStart Teacher of the Year — Krista Carpino, Dayton High School
- Oregon ProStart Mentor of the Year — Wendy Bennett, CTEC Salem
“As the capstone event for the ProStart career and technical education program, the championships represent the culmination of months of hard work and determination,” said Jason Brandt, president and CEO for the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association. “It’s incredibly inspiring to see these kids’ passion and know that we are contributing to a meaningful movement in recognizing career pathways in the hospitality industry.”
The teams from Crook County High School and Salem-Keizer CTEC will head to the National ProStart Invitational May 2-4, 2025, in Baltimore, Maryland to compete against the best teams from all other states, close to 400 students total. These Oregon champions also receive a share of prizes and scholarships from national culinary schools to help further their careers in the restaurant and foodservice industry.
Of the 48 Oregon high school programs, currently involving over 7,700 ProStart students, a total of nine teams from seven high schools competed in this event. Organizations partnering with the Oregon Hospitality Foundation include presenting sponsor, McDonald Wholesale, champion sponsor, Ecolab, and supporting sponsor, NW Natural.
Full Results for the 2025 Oregon ProStart Championships:
Culinary Competition
1st Place: Crook County High School
2nd Place: Salem-Keizer CTEC
3rd Place: Dayton High School
Management Competition:
1st Place: Salem-Keizer CTEC
2nd Place: Crescent Valley High School
3rd Place: South Salem High School
Schools in the Competition:
- Career Technical Education Center (Salem-Keizer)
- Cascade High School
- Crescent Valley High School
- Crook County High School
- Dayton High School
- South Salem High School
- Willamette High School
