Teams of South Dakota high school students put their culinary and hospitality management skills to the test at the 2025 South Dakota ProStart Invitational, held March 11 in Pierre. Champion high schools include Mitchell CTE, Harrisburg High School, Rapid City Stevens, T.F. Riggs High School (Pierre), and Sioux Falls CTE Academy.
The ProStart Invitational is a fast-paced event where students demonstrate work-ready skills in culinary arts, hospitality management, public speaking, and more. This year, eleven teams competed in culinary, management, and cake decorating competitions.
In the culinary portion, teams have just sixty minutes to prepare a three-course gourmet meal without using electricity. Many of the state’s premier chefs serve as judges, scoring teams on presentation, taste, sanitation, and teamwork.
T.F. Riggs High School took the top prize in the culinary division, earning them a place in the national ProStart competition in Baltimore, MD in May.
Teams also compete in a management competition, where they present concepts for a restaurant, its operations, marketing, critical thinking, and menu. Foodservice and industry professionals evaluate their business plans and presentation skills.
Harrisburg High School won first place and will advance to the national competition.
Finally, Mitchell CTE student Dailyn Kiner’s art deco-themed dessert took home first-place in cake decorating, a competition unique to South Dakota. Kiner was instructed by Cindy Gerlach.
“Through ProStart, high school students develop culinary and hospitality management skills applicable in a variety of businesses,” said South Dakota Retailers Association Exec. Dir. Nathan Sanderson. “This is real-world career preparation at its finest.”
ProStart is a joint effort of the South Dakota Department of Education, the South Dakota Retailers Association, and the South Dakota ProStart Advisory Committee.
At the end of the competition, two students were presented with culinary achievement awards
for their exceptional skills.
Chesney Kalda (T.F. Riggs) was awarded the President’s Award, given to an individual who exhibits leadership throughout the day’s tough competition. The Black Hills Chapter of the American Culinary Federation sponsors and selects that award.
Participating schools in the 2025 South Dakota ProStart Invitational included: Aberdeen ATEC, Florence High School, Harrisburg High School, Huron High School, Mitchell CTE, Madison Central High School, Northeast Technical High School (Watertown), Rapid City Stevens, St.Francis Indian School, SF CTE Academy, T.F. Riggs High School (Pierre)