Encampment Wins Laramie’s Culinary Cup

(LARAMIE)—For the second year in a row, the High School ProStart© team from tiny Encampment, Wyoming’s High School has won the 2011 statewide Hospitality Competition Culinary Cup during events in Laramie, according to the Wyoming Lodging and Restaurant Association, the sponsor of the events.

The team, coached by teacher Cheryl Munroe, also won the Safeway Baking competition. Munroe says for the culinary competition the team cooked “sweet and zesty” elk tenderloin, fresh vegetable mousse on homemade crackers, potato bacon soufflé and a dessert of pecan-lace tuille with blueberries and raspberries. Each team was required to produce a starter dish or appetizer, entrée and dessert.

“Quite amazing for anyone to produce such a meal on a two-burner propane cooking stove in one hour under the stress of competing in front of a couple hundred people for thousands of dollars in scholarship money,” said David Hester, Executive Director of the Wyoming Lodging and Restaurant Association’s Education Foundation.

Members of the Encampment team were; Shaylee Burgess, Brandi Swedlund, Kaylyn Wessel, Kyle Wessel and Alternate, Lucas Jarrett.

The team will compete in both events at the national ProStart © Invitational competition in Overland Park, Kansas, late next month.

Eighteen teams from across Wyoming competed in the events at the Hilton Garden Inn and 21 professional judges from Wyoming and Colorado evaluated the teams.

ProStart© is a school-to-career program managed by the Wyoming Lodging and Restaurant Association under guidance from the National Restaurant Association.

A listing of the teams and where they ranked follows;

2011 Wyoming ProStart Student Invitational final results

Yellowstone National Park Lodges Culinary Cup
1st – Encampment
2nd – Glenrock
3rd – Lander Valley
4th – Laramie
5th – Rock River

First Interstate Bank Management Competition
1st- Encampment
2nd – Lander Valley
3rd – Natrona
4th – Glenrock
5th – Riverton

Safeway Professional Baking Competition
1st – Cheyenne Central
2nd – Casper Transitions
3rd – Rock River
4th – Guernsey-Sunrise
5th – Cheyenne Central

Sheridan College Most Wanted Employee
1st – Clint Dewald, Glenrock

Food Services of America Spirit of Hospitality
1st – Glenrock
2nd – Encampment
3rd – Newcastle

Wyoming ProStart Teacher of the Year
Pam Rivers – Riverton

Taco Johns’ International
1st –Riverton
2nd - Riverton