January 2006
Contact: Dorothy Wills-Raftery
(845) 255-1400 xt. 1209

Ulster BOCES Culinary Arts Students Recognized By New York State Restaurant Association

Three Ulster BOCES Culinary Arts graduates have been recognized by the New York State Restaurant Association Educational Foundation for their commitment and dedication to the foodservice industry. Daniel Makowski, Rondout Valley Central School District; Sarah Rankin, Kingston City Schools Consolidated; and Bryan Weis, New Paltz Central School District, all 2005 graduates of Ulster County schools, have been awarded the $2,000 ProStart Certificate of Achievement Scholarship.

The scholarship is awarded annually to students who have demonstrated a commitment to both a post-secondary foodservice education and a career in the restaurant and foodservice industry. The Foundation also credits the Ulster BOCES Culinary Arts teaching staff, Victor Arnao, Irene Powell, and Scott Young. “The students’ success is a direct result of their educators’ leadership and guidance,” says Harold Qualters, director of the Educational Foundation.

The New York Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, a nonprofit organization, was established in 1999 to enhance the association’s ability to provide training opportunities for those currently in the hospitality industry, and to encourage others to choose the industry as a career.

One of the primary goals of the Educational Foundation is to oversee and implement the National Restaurant Association’s ProStart program in high schools across the country. ProStart combines on-the-job mentoring and classroom instruction for juniors and seniors interested in pursuing a career in the foodservice industry.

Students learn how to prepare food, place and receive orders, control costs, handle food safely, and other managerial skills. To graduate, the students must complete 400 mentoring hours and two years in the classroom. The students are also tested and certified at the end of the junior and senior years. In New York State, ProStart presently operates in 28 schools, reaching more than 1,200 students and well over 70 educators. Nationwide, ProStart involves approximately 40,000 students and more than 5,000 educators.

For more information, please contact the New York State Restaurant Association Educational Foundation at 800-452-5212 or the Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Center at 845-331-6680.