CHICAGO – Texas ProStart®, a two-year high school culinary and foodservice management curriculum used by more than 15,000 students in 150+ Texas high schools, announced the availability of new online learning tools ensuring learning continues while schools across Texas are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This offer was made possible due to the contribution of e-Learning tools from a leader in online culinary arts education, Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts.
ProStart® is a comprehensive program of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, delivered in Texas by the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation and is designed to support young people who have an interest in the culinary arts, restaurant and hospitality industry.
“This is a challenging time for our country and our teachers. With most high schools converting to online instruction, finding rigorous culinary content that also inspires and engages students can be difficult,” said Tracy Lorenz, president and CEO of Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts and Triumph Higher Education Group. “We are pleased to have partnered with the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation to offer our content so that teachers can continue to instruct their culinary students without disruption,” added Lorenz.
Escoffier worked closely with the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation to provide relevant content and tools to help keep high school students engaged and learning in the safety of their own home. Now available to Texas high school students currently enrolled in a ProStart® program, Escoffier’s e-Learning content includes 45+ culinary educator led foundational videos, recipes and assessment tools covering proper sanitation, essential knife skills, the importance of mise en place, soups and stocks, and vegetable and protein cookery. The e-Learning resources are part of Escoffier’s Boulder campus comprehensive accredited online programs launched in 2015.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our educators and will do so much for our ProStart® students who are used to cooking and hands on learning each day,” said Emily Williams Knight, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association and Education Foundation. “As a former college president with a world class school of culinary arts, I understand the importance of supporting these students’ creativity and providing them with opportunities to practice and engage. These students are the future of our industry and their incredible teachers deserve support as they transition to online delivery of career and technical education. As an accredited institution with comprehensive online learning in culinary arts, Escoffier is uniquely capable of offering high school ProStart® educators and students these great resources. I am truly proud of this partnership and how quickly our organizations came together to support the future of our industry.”
For more information about the Escoffier e-Learning options for Texas ProStart® visit https://www.escoffier.edu/prostart-educators/
More about ProStart®
ProStart® is a career and technical education program teaching culinary arts and restaurant management fundamentals in 1,900 high schools across the country. During the two-year curriculum, ProStart® showcases the breadth of opportunities the industry has to offer and leverages it as a lens to learn crucial skillsets including marketing, math, public speaking, teamwork, and time management. Students complete ProStart® prepared for either college or a career. ProStart® is offered in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Department of Defense bases around the world. Texas ProStart® is run in collaboration with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation by the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation. In 2019, Texas ProStart® teams won 1st place in both Culinary and Management at the National Championship Invitational.
More about Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts
Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts is a leading accredited provider of online and campus-based culinary training and education. The school’s professional programs offer the proven combination of a classic and contemporary approach to modern industry skills training as well as a sustainability-centered and business-focused curriculum. Professional programs in Culinary Arts and Pastry Arts are available online and on ground through Escoffier’s Boulder, CO campus and on ground through its Austin, Texas campus. Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Boulder, Colorado is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET). Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Austin, Texas is nationally accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE). Learn more at escoffier.edu.
More about The Texas Restaurant Association
The Texas Restaurant Association was formed in 1937 to serve as the advocate in Texas and the indispensable resource for the foodservice industry. Today, as a leading business association, TRA represents the state’s $70.6 billion restaurant industry, which is comprised of more than 50,000 locations and a workforce of 1.4 million employees. Along with the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation, the Association represents, educates and promotes the growing industry.
More about Triumph Higher Education Group
Triumph Higher Education Group, a subsidiary of Triumph Capital, LLC is dedicated to developing global post-secondary education that is innovative, high quality and affordable. The company is managed by a team of professionals who have decades of experience in launching and cultivating highly successful career-focused schools, both on-ground and online. It is focused exclusively on providing rigorous curriculum designed to develop the skills necessary to meet significant employer demand. Learn more at triumpheducation.com.
