P-CEP Restaurant Management Team Wins State Title, Advances to Nationals

The P-CEP culinary program added another chapter to its recipe of success recently after its Restaurant Management and Design team captured the state championship at the 2026 Michigan ProStart Invitational. Their winning concept, “Tanuki’s Table,” featured a creative fusion of Japanese cuisine and Southern comfort food, impressing judges with its originality and depth.

Team members Sam Wegrzyn and Kazu Suzuki presented their restaurant concept over four rounds, responding to judges’ questions and adapting their ideas in real time. The competition concluded with two additional rounds of case study challenges, where students successfully navigated complex, real-world business scenarios. With their first-place finish, the team will now advance to the National ProStart Championships in Baltimore this April.

The state title capped an outstanding overall performance for the P-CEP culinary program. The culinary competition team—Jonah Osborne, Ophelia Andrade, Kam O’Donnell, Frankie Woodward, and Kobe Chen—earned an impressive second-place finish, missing first place by less than one-tenth of a point. Competing under intense conditions, the team prepared a three-course meal using only a camp stove and no running water.

Adding to the celebration, the culinary Quiz Bowl team of Danny Woodward, Brennan Kifer, Maddie Bonner, and Ty Monahan made program history by winning their first-ever state championship. The competition tested students’ knowledge of the FDA Food Code through the ServSafe training program, requiring both speed and accuracy.

Congratulations to culinary team lead instructor and coach Diana Woodward and all of the culinary program students on your well-deserved success, and good luck at the national finals!