The New Mexico State Fair High School Culinary Competition
Wednesday, September 10, 2025 - 10:00 am- 1:00 pm
Main Street in front of the Agriculture Building Courtyard – New Mexico State Fair - ABQ
Event Coordinator: Kathleen Mansmann - (505) 615-9236
The New Mexico State Fair High School Culinary Competition brings together 8 high school ProStart teams from across New Mexico. These talented students will create a batch of green chile stew accompanied by freshly made tortillas. The cook-off will be judged by a group of professional chefs from start to finish. The following categories will be included in the judging process:
- Product Check-in
- Teamwork & Organization
- Knife Skills
- Safety & Sanitation
- Tasting
The top three teams will receive trophies and prize money; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000, respectively, will be awarded to winners upon the judge’s announcement which are to be used towards their school’s culinary program needs and the remaining five competing schools will receive a check for $250. The teams will provide tasting samples of their stew to the public while they await the judges' decision. The competition begins at 10:00 AM and ends at 1:00 PM.
ABOUT PROSTART The ProStart® program is a two-year curriculum designed to teach high school students the culinary and management skills needed for a career in the restaurant and foodservice industry. The Hospitality Industry Education Foundation, which administers the ProStart Program in New Mexico, is supported in part by the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation through its ProStart Initiative. Each spring, New Mexico ProStart students compete to earn a chance to advance to the National ProStart Student Invitational and to win scholarships.
For more information, contact Kathleen Mansmann - kathleen.mansmann@expo.nm.gov