Middleton High School seniors Ray Myers and Chloe Shin earned second place in a statewide Chopped Recipe Challenge through their ProStart culinary arts class, showing off their creativity, teamwork, and cooking skills.
The ProStart Program is a career and technical education program that teaches high school students culinary skills and restaurant management principles. The monthly competition, hosted by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association’s Education Foundation, invites students from across the state to create original recipes using a secret ingredient.
Each month features a new ingredient and focus, encouraging students to experiment in the kitchen while building important culinary skills. For the January challenge, students were asked to develop and prepare a dish featuring garlic, with entries judged on creativity and originality, organization and structure of recipe, and presentation.
Myers and Shin stood out with their dish, Crispy Sesame Garlic Chili Oil Noodles, and their strong showing earned them second place and a spice rack prize.
ProStart teacher Tara Bradford said their dedication and work ethic made a big difference.
“They both enjoy cooking in class and put a lot of thought into the competitions we participate in,” Bradford said. “They’re very careful to follow the guidelines, and it paid off. Their creativity and plating skills really showed.”
For Myers, one of the best parts of the experience was working together with Shin to create something unique.
“I enjoyed working with Chloe to make this dish into something that is ours,” he said. “We made two separate sauces because each of us wanted different things in it, and then combined them to create our final dish.”
Students in the ProStart program take part in hands-on learning and monthly challenges to help build cooking skills, encourage creativity, and provide real-world experience in food preparation, presentation, and teamwork. These opportunities also give students a glimpse into careers in the food and hospitality industry while helping them grow their confidence in the kitchen.
Congratulations to Myers and Shin on their impressive achievement!