ProStart Student Invitational

What is the ProStart Student Invitational?

The ProStart Student Invitational is similar to a Chopped or Food Network-style competition that—if you're like us—you'd enjoy watching from home on your couch...but in person and a lot more intense! This competition is for high school students, broken down by state, across the country. Each individual state hosts a local competition between registered ProStart schools, and students compete as teams in one of two separate areas: culinary arts or restaurant management. The winning school moves on to the National ProStart Student Invitational to compete against winning schools from other states!

The New Jersey ProStart Student Invitational (NJPSI)

Each year, approximately 10 of the state's 25 ProStart schools compete in the New Jersey ProStart Student Invitational (NJPSI) in late February. Competing is not required, rather, it is offered in addition to the two-year school curriculum. NJPSI is, by far, the largest event held through our Educational Foundation, with approximately 175-200 attendees between students and faculty, competition judges, industry pros, volunteers, and parents. Teams compete for scholarship opportunities, state bragging rights, and the chance to represent New Jersey at Nationals. 

Our 2026 competition was held on February 25 at Driscoll Foods in Wayne, with nine teams competing in culinary arts and four teams competing in restaurant management. The scores were extremely close, but the winner of both competitions was Mercer County Technical Schools. Congratulations, team!

Thanks to Our 2026 NJPSI Sponsors

Get Involved

Want to make a positive impact on the future of our industry? Get involved today! Email Austin Morgan to learn about sponsorship and volunteer opportunities.