Staff reports
Five Wekiva High School students won fourth place in the restaurant management category at the 2025 National ProStart Invitational, according to a press release from Florida ProStart and the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA).
“These competitions not only highlight our students’ skills, but also open doors through scholarships and national recognition,” Director of the FRLA Educational Foundation Laura Rumer said in a statement.
Students Onyx Castillo, Zariah Edwards, Isaac Aristud, Aubrey Pugh and Parker Masangkay represented Wekiva at the invitational after winning first place at the state level Florida ProStart Competition. Each student received up to $23,000 in culinary education scholarships after presenting their restaurant concept and full business plan for Sabor, a contemporary Mexican restaurant. Faculty instructor Christopher Bates accompanied them.
“Their accomplishments, plus our growth, our significant ProStart Certificate of Achievement rate among seniors, and our success in placing graduating students in industry positions and internships has led to Wekiva Culinary finally cracking the Top 10 ceiling and being rated one of the best high school Culinary Programs in the country,” Bates said in a statement.
Hosted by the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation (NRAEF), the competition featured more than 400 top culinary and restaurant management students from 47 states and Washington, D.C. Ninety-six teams competed for $200,000 in scholarships and top honors.
“As Florida’s leading industry, hospitality plays a vital role in our economy—and these exceptional high school students represent its bright future,” President and CEO of FRLA Carol Dover said in the press releas. “We are thrilled with their national success and honored to support their journey through ProStart. With the nation’s largest ProStart program, Florida continues to lead in hospitality education. Our young leaders have proven their talent and drive, and we look forward to the many ways they will shape the future of our industry.”
ProStart is a nationwide high school career program educating nearly 150,000 students in culinary arts and restaurant management skills. Florida’s ProStart program is the largest in the nation with approximately 30,000 students enrolled annually. ProStart’s industry-driven curriculum provides real-world educational opportunities and sets a high standard of excellence for the industry’s next generation of leaders. Yearly, students compete on state and nation-wide levels to showcase skills they learned in their classroom kitchens.
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