The Rachael Ray Foundation Provides ProStart Grow Grant for Becton Regional Culinary and Restaurant Management Education Program. Washington – (January 2023) – The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) announced that Becton Regional High School is one of 38 high schools from across the country selected to receive a grant to support its ProStart culinary and restaurant management program through the Rachael Ray Foundation ProStart Grow Grant program.

In 2022, the Rachael Ray Foundation generously contributed $225,000 to the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation in support of ProStart Grow Grants. Schools with existing ProStart programs, or those looking to become part of the ProStart program, were invited to apply, with winning schools each receiving $5,000 by demonstrating how the ProStart program positively impacts or could impact, their students and local school community. The Becton Regional High School Culinary Arts program has seen tremendous growth and student interest over the past few years since Superintendent/Principal Dr. Dario Sforza gave the green light to scrap its traditional foods program for a more vigorous and specialized culinary arts curriculum. Becton has been steadfast in providing students with real-world career-focused CTE opportunities, and its Culinary program has been leading the race. Led by Chef Eduardo Perdomo’s expertise in fine dining and cuisine and master baker Chef Kimmy D’Amelio, the Becton Culinary Program is one hands-on example of what the future of Becton Regional’s curriculum will look like. “We are glad to see that our passion for Culinary, Baking, and Pastry Arts is being recognized nationally by the Rachel Ray Foundation,” stated Chef Perdomo & Chef D’Amelio. “Our daily goal is to not only teach students the hospitality and business side of our profession but to simply allow them to taste how sweet the fruits of their labor can be when they are committed to the creative process of learning. This grant will ensure the future of the program continues to “taste” delicious!”

To date, the Rachael Ray Foundation ProStart Grow Grant Program has provided $590,000 to schools demonstrating a strong need to engage and educate high school students interested in exploring restaurant and food service careers. “ProStart programs, and the educators who support them, provide high school students across the country with skills they need to be successful throughout life,” said Rachael Ray, award-winning television personality and philanthropist. “We [The Rachael Ray Foundation] are proud to support the dreams, passion, and hard work that these Grow Grant recipients display in their classrooms and schools as they cultivate the next generation of restaurant and food service professionals.” A program of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, ProStart is a two-year technical education program found at more than 1,750 high schools and career and technical education centers nationwide, teaching culinary techniques and restaurant management skills that build a lifetime foundation and support future careers in the restaurant industry. With 145,000 students enrolled across all states, the District of Columbia, and Guam, the program teaches students through a combination of classroom and industry instruction.

ProStart is a wonderful opportunity for those interested in pursuing a career related to food management. Students are able to be surrounded by people who share common interests. These students are able to experience hands-on learning and real-life cooking techniques. We cannot wait to see the journey each student in Prostart takes this upcoming year and for years to come. Congratulations to Becton’s ProStart program and our community!

Find out more about ProStart at ChooseRestaurants.org/ProStart