A team of DuPage area high school culinary students, including a student from North High School and South High School, will compete against the best in the nation at the 2023 National ProStart Invitational. The students are part of the Professional Cooking, Baking, and Service program at the Technology Center of DuPage (TCD).
Salvador Ontiveros from North High School, Abby Jongsma, Elizabeth Hayes from South High School, and four other area students took first place at the Illinois ProStart Invitational on March 18. The state competition is hosted by the Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. It allows budding culinary students and restaurant management students the opportunity to network with top national chefs and industry professionals.
The award-winning team will have a few weeks to develop and practice a 3-course menu for the national competition, which will take place May 2-4 in Washington, D.C.
Technology Center of DuPage (TCD) offers area high school juniors and seniors from 14-member high school districts advanced career and technical education programs (CTE) as an elective part of their high school curriculum. In addition to high school credit, TCD students may concurrently earn dual college credit.