Submitted Photo Pictured are the students from Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES who took first place in the NYSRAEF ProStart Invitational Rich Products Management Competition. From left: Kelsey Mallaber (North Collins), Christina Dingeldey (Lake Shore), Kristopher Herrmann (Silver Creek), Sabrina Seneca (Silver Creek) and Veronica Maciejewski (North Collins). The team was awarded a check for $5,000 from UnitedHealthcare to help cover the costs of traveling to The National ProStart Invitational.

ANGOLA — Students from Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES recently took first place in the NYSRAEF ProStart Invitational Rich Products Management Competition. The event was held Saturday, March 24 at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

The Culinary Arts students from the Carrier Educational Center in Angola created the concept for a fictional restaurant. Presenting before a panel of industry judges, they had to describe the restaurant’s theme, layout and menu. They also had to provide details from memory on how they would run the business. The judges then asked critical thinking questions on a variety of topics, including human resources, time management and food safety.

Preparing for the competition took months of research and practice.

“We do everything after school,” according to instructor Jim Kuras. “This is all extra time. It’s a lot of work.”

The students started meeting in September, working through the Thanksgiving and Winter Recesses. While each student was responsible for a different aspect of the presentation, they all had to come together to make it work.

“I think the most important part for me was to see them jell as a team and not as individuals,” said Sandy Kaleta, who has been mentoring the students. “Just their energy alone was amazing. They knew their stuff.”

The students have been supported by a committed group of professionals. In addition to Kuras and Kaleta, they have received one-on-one coaching from Chris Kaleta and research assistance from John LoBianco.

Winning the competition means more than taking home a trophy; the students were offered thousands of dollars in scholarships from culinary schools, such as Niagara Falls Culinary Institute, Culinary Institute of New York, SUNY Cobleskill, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and The Art Institutes.

“They did absolutely wonderful,” said Kuras. “They’re all juniors. They competed against all seniors. To me, that’s a big hurdle. They did something that’s not easy to do.”

The students are now preparing for their next hurdle: The National ProStart Invitational in Providence, Rhode Island at the end of April. The team will be competing against 42 schools from across the United States.

About Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES

The Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus (E2CC) BOCES is one of 37 BOCES in New York State. The E2CC BOCES represents all the school districts in Chautauqua County, southern Erie County, and part of Cattaraugus County, a geographical area of 1,791 square miles. Services are offered in the following areas: Adult Education & Workforce Development, Special Education, Alternative Education, Career & Technical Education, Staff & Curriculum Development, Instructional Support Services, Technology Services, Management Services, and others. For more information, visit www.e2ccb.org.