BETTENDORF, IOWA (October 7, 2021) — On October 21, ProStart® culinary students from Burlington High School and Davenport Community Schools will face-off in a Top Chef-style competition at the Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center. With just one hour on the clock, student teams will work with a professional chef to create an appetizer and entrée for judging. Teams are competing for cash prizes to enhance their culinary classrooms. The public is encouraged to attend and watch the students in action. Tickets are available www.iraef.org and include a pizza and salad buffet, dessert salon, and cash bar. The evening will be co-emceed by Greg Dwyer from the Dwyer and Michaels Morning Show and Chef Shawn Timmerman from Tigerhawk Hospitality in Bettendorf.
New Twist Added This Year
A new twist added to this year’s event challenges students to exhibit their culinary knowledge and creativity to create a “tofu beverage” using the all-new Mori-Nu Plus Fortified Tofu by Morinaga. The beverage competition is sponsored by Morinaga and The Soyfoods Council.
Dessert Salon Provided by Scott Community College and Pleasant Valley HS “Taste Buds” Program
The night’s dessert salon is provided by the Pleasant Valley High School “Taste Buds” program. These Pleasant Valley High School students with disabilities work and learn in the culinary arts kitchens of Scott Community College beside instructors and student mentor helpers.
Iowa Restaurant Association Education Foundation
The Iowa Restaurant Association Education Foundation is the leading education resource for the development of a professional and highly-skilled hospitality workforce in the state of Iowa, building connections between educational entities and industry employers seeking trained, qualified students, and job candidates. For Iowa’s current hospitality industry workforce, the IRAEF delivers education and communication programs to train, grow, retain, and advance.
ProStart Program
ProStart® is one of the largest industry-supported career education programs in the nation, developing high-school students for successful culinary and management careers in the restaurant and hospitality industry
