Meet Minnesota’s next generation of chefs — they’re still in high school

Dozens of chefs were buzzing around their stations inside a ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Minneapolis, putting finishing touches on their dishes.

Guests would arrive soon, ready to feast on small bites that included butternut squash ravioli with sage pesto, braised beef short ribs with mashed potatoes and chive oil, a crostini flight and lemon tarts with toasted meringue, lavender drizzle, hazelnut brittle and candied blueberries. The food was fancy, befitting its four-star location, and the energy was palpable — all this on a school night.

The event, a Stars of the Future fundraising gala, showcased the talents of 14 Minnesota high school culinary teams, all part of the ProStart program run by Hospitality Minnesota.

“This is truly one of the best parts of my job,” Angie Whitcomb, president and CEO of Hospitality Minnesota, said of the program. “I just feel so lucky. This program, what it’s doing not only for these kids but for our industry, it’s just the greatest thing to be part of. We’re making a difference in kids' lives and teaching them skills they may or may not use in the kitchen, but these are life skills that they’ll take everywhere.”

Throughout Minnesota, 70 schools and more than 13,000 students are enrolled in ProStart, a two-year program for high school students started by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation that teaches participants the culinary and management sides of the industry. (Not all schools field competitive teams.) Each program has an instructor and a professional mentor who help students learn and gain enough experience to embark on a culinary career after graduation.

Austin Allen was among the first ProStart classes at Burnsville High School. Now a sous chef at Manny’s in downtown Minneapolis, this year he returned to his alma mater as a mentor.

“I thought it would be great to give back and just share the skills that I’ve learned over the years,” he said.

Allen knew he wanted to be a chef at a young age — “good food makes people happy,” he says — and after high school he worked his way up the Parasole restaurant group, eventually landing at Manny’s. His favorite part of being a mentor? “Seeing them do new things they haven’t done before,” he said, from kitchen techniques to learning to cook steak.

Dustin Rupprecht and Kailey Johnson were both ProStart students at Elk River High School and are now teachers running programs in the Anoka-Hennepin School District. What they learned in ProStart had a lasting impact on their time in school and their careers.

“I wanted to be a chef, so it gave me connections to the industry,” said Rupprecht, who worked for more than a decade before moving to teaching. “It gave me some higher-level skills, and when I went to culinary school I already had a leg up.”

“I was kind of quiet, and it got me out of my shell a little bit,” Johnson said, adding that she learned important communication skills as well as kitchen techniques. “And then it made me figure out what I wanted to do — I wanted to be a FACS [Family and Consumer Sciences] teacher, just like my teacher."

The two teach at different schools, but worked together to bring a competition team back to the district, inspired in part by their experiences and teacher, Monique Sabby, who still leads the Elk River program.

“It’s a lot different being on the teacher side,” Rupprecht said. “The organization is a whole new ballgame. I have no idea how Sabby got us to do all that we did.”

Johnson agreed. “Using some of her skills and talent inspired me to want to do this. Just the passion that she has — I wanted to give that passion to the students and help inspire them."

“Sabby has been a godsend,” Rupprecht said. “She answers all of our questions, helps us through challenges. She’s still kind of our mentor, even though we’re competing against each other.”

But this night, everyone was on the same team. The students didn’t disappoint, their food drawing rave reviews from the more than 200 people attending the fundraiser, which organizers say was among their most successful. Money raised will go back to the program, used for everything from training and books to grants to outfit kitchens and curriculum.

“I pride myself on being a pretty good cook, and I love being in the kitchen. It’s kind of like my mental escape,” said Whitcomb, of Minnesota Hospitality. “These kids? Yeah, I’m not going to cook in front of these kids because I’d look like a rookie. They’re so good.”

We went behind the scenes and asked ProStart students across the state about their culinary influences, their favorite dishes to cook and the biggest issue facing restaurants today. Some responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Junior, Sauk Rapids-Rice High School

First thing you remember making: Banana bread.

Go-to comfort food: Lasagna.

Favorite dish you’ve ever made: Homemade pork dumplings.

Favorite ingredient: Garlic.

Favorite kitchen tool: Chef’s knife.

Most memorable meal: Fish and chips in Maine on a family vacation.

Culinary influences: My grandma, as she was the first person to teach me how to cook.

What you enjoy about being a chef: Experimenting with new ingredients and recipes to make delicious food.

Challenges of being a chef: Multitasking while making complex dishes.

Biggest issue facing restaurants today: High and rising food costs.

Dream job: Being a restaurant owner.

Junior, Duluth East High School

First thing you remember making: Swedish meatballs with my mom. I remember taking a scoop and then rolling the meat into a ball and placing them on a sheet pan. I also remember watching them brown in the oven. This was probably when I was around kindergarten age, maybe a little bit older.

Go-to comfort food: When I am out camping it would have to be potato soup with bacon and saltines because of its simplicity and warmth. But at home it would have to be enchiladas because of the savory, spicy and fresh flavors.

Favorite dish you’ve ever made: It was pretty recently, but Chinese-braised chicken marinated overnight, with rice, a cabbage slaw and thinly sliced cucumbers.

Favorite ingredient: Onions because of their versatility and their adaptability. Onions can add sweetness, acidity, bitterness and other flavors. They also make people cry, which I don’t experience, so it is funny when people are crying when cutting them. People also say they are easy to cut when it can take a lot of skill to cut an onion right.

Favorite kitchen tool: Chef’s knife or a potato ricer.

Most memorable meal: The snow crab entree at Red Lobster for my birthday one year. I remember that it was a lot of work for the small amount of meat, but it was a fun first experience.

Culinary influences: My grandma on my dad’s side. She showed me how to do a lot of baking and cooking. She also taught me to use fresh ingredients and include all colors and flavors and to shop thrifty to get the value of ingredients.

My second influence would have to be chef Glenn D’Amour, my FACS instructor. He was the first person to introduce me to use a knife properly, the knife cuts, budgeting and how to run a restaurant. He also put real-world experiences into how he taught and made it fun.

My final culinary influence is chef Adam Wisocki, the coach for the Duluth East High School ProStart team. He has taught me the most about the industry, safety and how to function in a commercial kitchen, and a lot of the cost and planning that goes into dishes. Chef Wisocki has made me actually consider the culinary and hospitality industry as one of my top career choices.

What you enjoy about being a chef: I enjoy the creativity and artistic abilities in cooking and I also enjoy that not every day is the same thing. I also enjoy the immediate satisfaction of improving skills and seeing success.

Challenges of being a chef: You have to have good communication and time management skills. Another thing that is a challenge is that you have to be very meticulous and make your decisions with confidence.

Biggest issue facing restaurants today: The growing costs to open and maintain a restaurant. With our current economy, prices are going up which means that restaurants have to charge more for their food in order to profit and along with that to pay for labor, which makes the prices skyrocket. And customers can’t spend as much lately so not as many people are visiting restaurants. Furthermore, the recent weather events caused by global warming are wreaking havoc on these farming industries, like cattle, which drives prices and makes the financial side of restaurants harder. Thirdly, I think that apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash have made it harder for local eateries to stay open when consumers can order and have it delivered to their house from a larger chain restaurant.

Dream job: Either working in a STEM field or in the food and hospitality industry.

Senior, Burnsville High School

First thing you remember making in the kitchen: Most likely a chocolate chip cookie. My dad and sister, huddled over a bowl watching the butter and sugar cream together.

Go-to comfort food: Tom yum, which is a Thai sour soup.

Favorite dish you’ve ever made: A sushi bake for a Thanksgiving get-together.

Favorite ingredient: Sugar, due to how much I bake.

Favorite kitchen tool: A countertop mixer.

Most memorable meal: A Thanksgiving get-together, where everyone was upstairs making a dish, in all of the chaos of a small kitchen, while having casual conversations about what needed to get done that day.

Culinary influences: My family and the FACS staff at Burnsville High School have all pushed me to continue my passion for the culinary arts, let alone having a space to have fun in the kitchen.

What you enjoy about being a chef: Seeing the faces of the people I made the meal for, enjoying the company of others with good food, and using food as a conversation starter.

Challenges of being a chef: I struggle the most with remembering how to do things or not having the right temperature for certain foods.

Biggest issue facing restaurants today: In my opinion, the biggest issue is the lack of customer retention. Because having one bad experience could make the customer lose interest and loyalty.

Dream job: As of right now, my dream job would be a baker.

Sophomore, Sauk Rapids-Rice School District

First thing you remember making: Chocolate chip cookies with my mom.

Go-to comfort food: Grilled cheese with tomato basil soup.

Favorite dish you’ve ever made: Orange chicken with jasmine rice.

Favorite ingredient: Butter.

Favorite kitchen tool: Rubber scraper.

Most memorable meal: Homemade pizza on Christmas Eve every year.

Culinary influences: Some of my culinary influencers include Gordon Ramsay, because he finds ways to share helpful tips and tricks on how to make the perfect dish, he finds ways to make things engaging to watch and learn from. My second culinary influencers are my culinary teachers, Mary Levinski and Kacy Nickerson. They have provided encouragement and continue to push me to be the best I can be.

What you enjoy about being a chef: If you can put your mind to something you want to create, it is always possible.

Challenges of being a chef: Keeping things cleaned and organized in the kitchen.

Biggest issue facing restaurants today: The cost of ingredients rising is a big issue.

Dream job: Pastry chef.

Senior, Becker High School

First thing you remember making: Coffee cupcakes with my grandma when I was 7.

Go-to comfort food: Chicken chow mein.

Favorite dish you’ve made: A creamy Cajun shrimp pasta.

Favorite ingredient: Garlic — I use it in a lot of the stuff I cook. I personally think garlic is amazing.

Favorite kitchen tool: My KitchenAid mixer ... I use it all the time.

Most memorable meal: The chicken noodle soup my dad will make for me when I’m sick — it’s the best soup I’ve ever had.

Culinary influences: The chef that influences me the most is Gordon Ramsay. He is funny and creative with his food and is living the culinary dream. The people who influence me the most in my life to continue cooking are my dad and grandma. I’ve been cooking with them since I was young and they really push me to try new things and keep improving.

What you enjoy about being a chef: I love how creative I can be in the kitchen. All the textures, colors, designs of cooking — it’s an art.

Challenges of being a chef: The one challenge I have as a cook is patience. Sometimes when things go wrong it’s hard to stay positive and patient, but I’m getting better.

Biggest issue facing restaurants today: Inflation. With everything being more expensive it’s harder to stay open and less people are going out.

Dream job: Owning my own restaurant or bakery.

Senior, Andover High School

First thing you remember making: Chicken pot pie.

Go-to comfort food: Tater Tot Hot Dish.

Favorite dish you’ve ever made: Homemade dumplings.

Favorite ingredient: Garlic.

Favorite kitchen tool: Chef’s knife.

Most memorable meal: A 10-course meal from Demi.

Culinary influences: Gordon Ramsay — my dad loves him, and Tim Fischer, my dad’s friend.

What you enjoy about being a chef: The high stress and the enjoyment of feeding people.

Challenges of being a chef: Time commitment.

Biggest issue facing restaurants today: Ordering food and curbside pickup.

Dream job: Private chef.

Senior, NRHEG [New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva] School District

First thing you remember making: Enchiladas with my mom.

Go-to comfort food: Ramen and sushi.

Favorite dish you’ve made: Milanesa with Spanish rice.

Favorite ingredient: Garlic.

Favorite kitchen tool: Bowls.

Most memorable meal: Pork dish with a berry compote and baked potato.

Culinary influences: Josh Weissman, because he was a self-taught chef who worked his way up.

What you enjoy about being a chef: Making new creations and watching people enjoy my food.

Challenges of being a chef: The stress of making something “perfect.”

Biggest issue facing restaurants today: The fact that people now would rather order out or DoorDash rather than go inside.

Dream job: Being a head chef at an Asian-infused restaurant in a big city.

Senior, North Branch High School

First thing you remember making: Marinated chicken wings with my dad.

Go-to comfort food: Quesadillas.

Favorite dish you’ve ever made: Mexican street tacos with homemade queso.

Favorite ingredient: Cheese.

Favorite kitchen tool: Chef’s knife.

Memorable meal: Squirrel that my grandpa made.

Culinary influences: Gordon Ramsay, because he is a culinary master. Hannah Rawleigh, my ProStart teacher, for introducing me to the culinary arts and for recognizing my potential. Executive chef Jerrold Brooks, my ProStart mentor, because he has seen my drive and passion and supported it.

What you enjoy about being a chef: Using different ingredients to make amazing and new dishes.

Challenges of being a chef: Mastering time management skills.

Biggest issue facing restaurants today: The costs to run a successful business and the cost for people to eat out.

Dream job: To own my own food truck and/or restaurant and make a living doing what I love.

Junior, Hopkins High School

First thing you remember making: My grandmother’s Puerto Rican food.

Go-to comfort food: Pepperoni pizza.

Favorite dish you’ve made: Guava and cream cheese pastelitos.

Favorite ingredient: Adobo seasoning.

Favorite kitchen tool: KitchenAid mixer.

Most memorable meal: My parents' 20th wedding anniversary meal. We went to RH Rooftop Restaurant [in Edina] and had crispy artichokes, roasted chicken and a chicken club sandwich.

Culinary influences: Antonia Lofaso — diverse menus and creativity; Gordon Ramsay — cooking style and confidence.

Challenges of being a chef: Cost of ingredients and time you have with other responsibilities in life.

Biggest issue facing restaurants today: The fact that people don’t go to sit-down restaurants anymore. People choose fast food.

Dream job: To be a chef or a pastry chef.

Senior, Duluth East High School

First thing you remember making: Cookies with my mom.

Go-to comfort food: Tater Tot Taco Hot Dish.

Favorite dish you’ve ever made: Beef skewers.

Favorite ingredient: Rice.

Favorite kitchen tool: Knife.

Most memorable meal: Lamb (from a cruise ship).

Culinary influences: Chef Adam Wisocki, because he has taught me a lot about cooking and always pushes me past my limits and encourages me to keep working.

What you enjoy about being a chef: Being able to make new foods and learn new skills.

Challenges of being a chef: The high-stress environment and having good time management.

Biggest issue facing restaurants: Rising food costs.

Dream job: Psychology.

Senior, Hopkins High School

First thing you remember making: Cupcakes.

Go-to comfort food: Chicken Alfredo.

Favorite dish you’ve made: Caramel apple cheesecake from my dessert business.

Favorite ingredient: Heavy whipping cream.

Favorite kitchen tool: Stand mixer.

Most memorable meal: Hell’s Kitchen Triple C burger and Mahnomin (Native American wild rice porridge).

Culinary influence: Gordon Ramsay.

What you enjoy about being a chef: Being able to come up with fun new recipes.

Challenges of being a chef: Keeping things in order so that they go as planned (recipes, ingredients, cost, etc.).

Biggest issue facing restaurants today: Dining and dashing [eating without paying].

Dream job: Pastry chef with my own business.