Students from Newport High School placed second in the 10th annual Boyd Coffee ProStart Invitational. The event took place Saturday, March 6, at South Seattle Community College.

Newport’s four-student culinary team earned the award by preparing a three-course menu of spring lettuce with champagne shallot vinaigrette, bacon lardons and goat cheese croutons; seared sockeye salmon with spring mushroom risotto, with a final course of molten lava cake, vanilla ice cream and coffee crème anglaise.

Newport’s culinary team consists of students Julian Gossage, Jencen Robey, Kathleen Leo, Stephanie Halamek and alternate Julie Kim.

Newport’s ProStart class is led by teacher Tracy Green.

The annual Invitational gives students a chance to showcase their talents in cooking, knife skills and restaurant management proficiency in front of judges who hold prominent positions in the culinary world.

“Being able to watch these students at the beginning of their careers is pretty fascinating,” said Anthony Anton, president and CEO of the WRA, at Saturday’s event. “It’s amazing to think that one of the next culinary geniuses of our time may have competed in this competition.”

Saturday’s Invitational allowed teams from 22 high schools in Washington to compete for more than $270,000 in scholarships offered by the New England Culinary Institute, Le Cordon Bleu, Oregon Culinary Institute, Johnson and Wales and The Culinary Institute of America.

Oak Harbor High School in Oak Harbor and Chief Leschi High School in Puyallup won first and third place respectively in the culinary competition.