Following in a long line of successful teams from the program, a trio of East Providence High School Career and Tech Center students were winners at the 2023 Rhode Island Hospitality Education Foundation state ProStart competition held Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Crowne Plaza Providence-Warwick.

Sophomores Annabela Camello, Haley Duarte and Sade Williams joined to take the top spot in the Foodservice Management category, which tasked students to “present a restaurant concept and business plan including design boards, floor plans and menu design.” On the business side, the students were also required provide a marketing plans, SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) analysis, an organization as well as show their public speaking skills akin to how presentations are made on the popular “Shark Tank” television show.

More than 50 local industry professionals judged the 11th annual competition, finding the East Providence entry, titled "Home,” as best in class. Forty-five students in culinary programs from six career and tech centers around Rhode Island took part in the event.

According to EPCTC Culinary instructors Chefs Bill Walker and Marie-Claire McKillip, Camello, Duarte and Williams collaborated with their peers from other CTC disciplines to help create “Home.”

They worked with pre-engineering class to produce the restaurant’s floor plan to scale with all furniture, fixtures and equipment. Combining with the Graphic Arts program, they created a menu and with the computer applications program they created an app for the restaurant.

The menu Camello, Duarte and Williams conjured up for “Home” included appetizers like “bacon wrapped shrimp”, entrees of the ilk such as “chicken pot pie with gnocchi” and “red wine braised pot roast” and desserts like “I Wanna Ski S’Mores Cheesecake.”

The trio’s presentation read in part, “‘Home’ offers a cozy and warm establishment to all. If you're looking for a taste of your favorite comfort foods, they are served here warm and fresh. Our cozy warm cabin establishment is perfect for a casual relaxed evening. Enjoy your favorite comfort foods by a cozy fireplace at ‘Home.’”

EPCTC teams previously won the state Prostart competition in 2017, 2018 and 2020. The competition was cancelled in 2021 due to the lingering COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, no EPCTC team took part in the event.

State champs were also awarded in two other categories. A team from the Exeter Job Corps Academy won the Culinary Arts competition and a hospitality and a tourism management team from CHARIHOTech (Charlestown, Richmond, Hopkinton) won the Hotel Management competition.

As part of the competition’s awards, seven different colleges and universities pledged $500,000 in available scholarship money to be shared among the winning teams.

By winning the Foodservice Management category of the competition Camello, Duarte and Williams will represent Rhode Island at the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s National ProStart Invitational competition in Washington D.C. on May 2.

There, nationally recognized hospitality and foodservice industry professionals will judge the students. The EPCTC students will be joined at nationals by the Exeter Job Corps Academy team, which will participate in the Culinary Arts grouping.