GAYLORD — Gaylord High School will send nine culinary students to the 2026 Michigan ProStart Invitational on Monday, March 2 and Tuesday, March 3 at the Doubletree by Hilton Battle Creek.
The students will compete in Culinary, Knife Cuts, Pasta and ServSafe Knowledge Bowl categories.
Gaylord High School’s Culinary Team will include Emma Banks, Autumn Daleski, Aneliese Kage, Hunter Maczorowski and Gauge Tulgetske. Ian Vollmer will compete in Knife Cuts.
The Pasta Team 1 competitors will be Kael Smith and Nevaeh Smith. Pasta Team 2 will include Isaiah Favel and Aneliese Kage.
The ServSafe Knowledge Bowl Team will include Aneliese Kage, Hunter Maczorowski, Gauge Tulgetske and Kael Smith.
The 2026 Michigan ProStart Invitational will bring together 500 high school students from across Michigan to showcase their skills in categories including Management, Culinary, Knife Cuts, Tabletop Design, Pasta and ServSafe Quiz Bowl.
Teams will be observed, judged and rated by leading industry professionals and higher education professionals.
Approximately $900,000 in scholarships will be available to ProStart students as they continue to pursue careers in the hospitality industry.
First-place winners of the Culinary and Management categories will earn a spot at the National ProStart Invitational in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 24-26, 2026.