Questar III BOCES Culinary Students Win Awards at ProStart Competition
For Immediate Release:
March 10, 2025
Contact: Jillian Shuhart
[email protected] - 518-479-6815
Questar III BOCES Culinary Students Win Awards at ProStart Competition
(Photos Attached – Captions at Bottom of Release)
Castleton, N.Y. – Over the weekend, Questar III BOCES culinary students from the Donald R. Kline Technical School in Hudson and the Robert H. Gibson Technical School in Troy visited The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park to showcase their skills in the annual ProStart competition. At the event, culinary students competed against other students in the New York and Vermont region in a Culinary Competition, the Gourmet Burger Battle, or the Management Competition.
Two teams from Donald R. Kline Technical School placed in the competition.
· Management Competition 2nd Place: Emilie Macchi (Junior, Taconic Hills Central School District), Autumn Maurer (Junior, Taconic Hills Central School District), Jiana McDonald (Junior, Catskill Central School District) and Madison Paul (Junior, Ichabod Crane Central School District).
· Culinary Arts Competition 2nd Place: Moriah Walker (Senior, Hudson City School District), Kaylee Lewis (Senior, Greenville Central School District), Alessa Dingman (Senior, Cairo-Durham Central School District) and Joseph Cooper (Senior, Cairo-Durham Central School District).
Robert H. Gibson Technical School student Ariel Adams (Lansingburgh Central School District) placed 5th in the Burger Battle.
As part of the competition, those who placed received scholarships from many of the culinary schools in the northeast to use towards their continued education.
Questar’s Culinary Arts Program follows the ProStart curriculum sponsored by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The curriculum teaches students the management and culinary skills needed for various career options in the hospitality industry. This two-year program provides students with both the academic content and the work-based learning experiences to be proficient in basic cooking and baking knowledge and skills.
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Photo Captions
ProStart 2025_1 - L-R: Sebastian Vickers (Teaching Assistant), Emilie Macchi, Autumn Maurer, Jiana McDonald, Madison Paul, and Chef Amanda Repko (Teacher) from Questar III BOCES earned 2nd place in the Management Competition.
ProStart 2025_2 - L-R: Chef Amanda Repko (Teacher), Moriah Walker, Joseph Cooper, Alessa Dingman, Kaylee Lewis, and Sebastian Vickers (Teaching Assistant) from Questar III BOCES earned 2nd place in the Culinary Arts Competition.
ProStart 2025_3: Questar III BOCES student Ariel Adams of Lansingburgh Central School District competes in the Gourmet Burger Battle.
About Questar III BOCES
Questar III (www.questar.org), a Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), is an educational service agency providing instructional and support services to 22 public school districts in Rensselaer, Columbia and Greene counties. Questar III BOCES offers elementary, secondary and adult students choices and opportunities in education. Whether they are interested in exploring career and technical opportunities, seeking alternatives to the traditional classroom setting, or in need of support of physical, developmental or emotional disabilities, Questar III BOCES offers programs and services designed to help all students succeed.