CLAY, W.Va. — Clay County High School’s inaugural ProStart team is taking an important step toward the statewide competition known as The West Virginia Hospitality Cup as students travel to Morgantown to participate in a culinary boot camp designed to sharpen their skills and prepare them for the 2027 West Virginia Hospitality Cup.
The hands-on training experience will provide students with an opportunity to strengthen the culinary techniques, teamwork, organization, time management, and professional kitchen skills needed to compete at a high level.
The Hospitality Cup will be held at The Greenbrier in March 2027, bringing together ProStart students from across West Virginia to demonstrate their knowledge and abilities in culinary arts and hospitality. The winner will continue on to Baltimore, Maryland for the National ProStart Invitational, with just over $500,000 awarded in scholarship money to continue on to the schooling they choose.
As Clay County High School’s first ProStart competition team, the students are helping establish a new tradition for the school’s Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts programs. Their participation represents the continued growth of career and technical education opportunities available to Clay County students.
“This is an exciting opportunity for our students to take what they are learning in the classroom and apply it in a professional, competitive environment,” said Duane Legg, CEC, Culinary Arts Instructor at Clay County High School. “The boot camp gives them an opportunity to learn, practice, work together as a team, and identify the areas we need to strengthen as we prepare for the Hospitality Cup. We are extremely proud to have Clay County represented by our inaugural ProStart team.”
ProStart is a career-building program that introduces high school students to professional culinary arts, restaurant management, hospitality, food safety, and workplace skills. Through classroom instruction, hands-on laboratory experiences, industry connections, and competition, students gain practical skills that can lead to postsecondary education, industry certifications, and careers in hospitality and foodservice.
The Morgantown culinary boot camp will serve as another milestone in the team’s preparation as students continue training throughout the school year for their March 2027 competition appearance at The Greenbrier.
Clay County High School looks forward to supporting these students as they represent their school and community and become the first Panthers to compete in the West Virginia Hospitality Cup as part of the school’s ProStart program.