March 7, 2017 the Utah Restaurant Association brings the best of Utah’s restaurant industry together for the Utah ProStart  State Finals Competition. Teens from across Utah are invited to attend this event, cheer on their favorite ProStart teams and have one-to-one face time with industry members invested in building Utah’s restaurant and food service industry with a very bright future.  Only one team will continue on to the 2017 National Invitational in Nashville Tennessee.

With rules and regulations as strict as a professional culinary institute, the three course meal is executed by teams of two-four members with sixty minutes to prepare the meal to its entirety.  All menu items are prepared using only two butane burner.  No electric or battery operated equipment is allowed. The teen chef’s are judged by floor judges on knife skills, mis-en-place, molecular gastronomy, intelligent plating and food safety (just to name a few). The hand-picked tasting judges are comprised of Utah chef’s, restaurateurs and industry professionals who taste anonymously and score innovative flavor profiles,  according to very strict guidelines.