The West Seattle High School Pro Start culinary team took home a First Place ranking in the Entrée category in the 2011 Boyd Coffee ProStart Invitational held last weekend. The Washington Restaurant Association’s state culinary competition was at the Mirabeau Park Hotel in the Spokane Valley, March 19, 2011.

With only one hour and two butane burners—using no electric or battery operated equipment—the team's goal was to complete two identical starter, entrée, and dessert combination meals.

The winning WSHS team menu included: Starter, Sea Scallops with cucumber and cherry tomato with a gastrique of rice wine vinegar; Entrée, Almond crusted Petrale Sole with baby bok choy, rice pilaf, and mango salsa; Dessert, Molten Chocolate Cake with Chinese-five-spice and ginger-chantilly cream.

The Petrale Sole came out as the winning entree.

Latisha Evans, Kirby Davis and Johnny Le comprise the 2011 culinary team representing West Seattle this year. Their chef mentors are; Quinton Stewart, executive chef at Branzino in downtown Seattle, and Robin Leventhal of Stopsky’s Delicatessen on Mercer Island.

The Pro Start class is offered at West Seattle High School and is taught by Sarah Orton and Danielle Henry.

For more information about this topic, please call Sarah Orton at 206/252-8855 or email Sarah at saorton@seattleschools.org