Cary High School and Smithfield Selma High School secured first place finishes in the 2019 North Carolina ProStart Invitational (NCPI) presented by Golden Corral. NCPI is a high-stakes culinary arts and restaurant management competition organized by the association’s philanthropic arm, the North Carolina Hospitality Education Foundation.
The 2019 NCPI took place March 7-9, at Johnson & Wales University – Charlotte. High school students from across North Carolina put their skills to the test in front of industry leaders, family and friends with the hopes to earn more than $700,000 in scholarships—awarded to first, second and third place teams—to top culinary schools across the country. More than 100 ProStart students, made up of 18 teams from across the state, demonstrated their mastery of skills in the fast-paced, high level competition.
The following teams placed in the top five for the management and culinary divisions of the competition:
2019 NCPI Culinary Winners
First place: Cary High School, Cary
Second place: Smithfield Selma High School, Smithfield
Third place: TC Roberson High School, Asheville
Fourth place: Cleveland High School, Clayton
Fifth place: Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School, Raleigh
2019 NCPI Management Winners
First place: Smithfield Selma High School, Smithfield
Second place: North Buncombe High School, Weaverville
Third place: Erwin High School, Asheville
Fourth place: Sanderson High School, Raleigh
Fifth place: Western Harnett High School, Lillington
Both Cary High School and Smithfield Selma High School advance to the prestigious National ProStart Invitational in Washington D.C. taking place May 8-10, 2019. Wake Technical Community College hosted a boot camp for both teams on March 23rd in preparation for the 2019 National ProStart Invitational.
Read the full press release here.
Watch Highlights from the 2019 North Carolina ProStart Invitational
A look back: 2018 NCPI Culinary Winners
