SD ProStart Invitational | March 9 & 10
Ramkota Hotel & Convention Center, Pierre
DRESS CODE: Please dress professionally, as you would in your business. The students are looking to you as industry professionals. Please wear chef coats for culinary, if you have one. No blue jeans please.
HOTEL: For those requesting a room for Monday night, you will be asked to place a card down for incidentals, but the room will be direct billed to SD ProStart.
Ramkota Hotel & Convention Center, Pierre
DRESS CODE: Please dress professionally, as you would in your business. The students are looking to you as industry professionals. Please wear chef coats for culinary, if you have one. No blue jeans please.
HOTEL: For those requesting a room for Monday night, you will be asked to place a card down for incidentals, but the room will be direct billed to SD ProStart.
Select + on right to drop down sections
Culinary, Cake Decorating & Management Rules
PLEASE REVIEW THE ENTIRETY OF THE RULES FOR BEST UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPETITION.
Below please find the rules for both Culinary and Management; a recording from National Judges regarding rules; and the judge training slides.
Below please find the rules for both Culinary and Management; a recording from National Judges regarding rules; and the judge training slides.
| 2026_Culinary_Management |
| 2026_Cake Decorating |
Judge Competition Assignments
Below are your assignments for competition. If you have any questions, please call me at 605-224-5050 to discuss.
Greg Beachey | Culinary: Product Check In & Lead Judge | Management: Concept
Nick Caton | Culinary: Tasting, Starter | Management: Critical Thinking, Concept
Alex Clark | Culinary: Safety/Sanitation | Cake Decorating
Nathan Dahl | Culinary: Team Presentation/Knife Skills | Management: Critical Thinking, Menu Development and Design
Jesse Davis | Culinary: Costing | Management: Critical Thinking, HR
Sean Dempsey | Culinary: Work Skills/Org. | Management: Menu/Costing
Farzad Farrokhi | Culinary: Product Check In & Taste, Entree | Management: Critical Thinking, Safety & Sanitation
Cory Henkel | Culinary: Taste, Starter | Management: Operations
Sarah Hustead | Culinary: Safety/Sanitation | Management: Marketing
April Johnson | Culinary: Team Presentation/Knife Skills | Management: Concept
Melissa Johnson | Culinary: Taste, Dessert | Management: Marketing
Kimmie LeCompte | Culinary Taste, Dessert | Cake Decorating
Brandon Mccormack | Culinary: Team Presentation/Knife Skills | Management: Operations
Sarah Pethick | Culinary: Work Skills/Org. | Management: Marketing
Blake Rose | Culinary: Product Check In & Taste, Starter | Management: Operations
Matt Sawyer | Culinary: Costing | Management: Menu/Costing
Jeff Slathar | Culinary: Taste, Dessert | Cake Decorating
Ted Thie | Culinary: Taste, Entree | Management: Menu/Costing
Terry Van De Walle | Culinary: Safety/Sanitation | Management: Concept
Chris Verhoek | Culinary: Costing | Management: Operations
Waylon Waite | Culinary: Taste, Entree | Management: Concept
Lacey Weeldreyer | Culinary: Team Presentation/Knife Skills | Cake Decorating
Greg Beachey | Culinary: Product Check In & Lead Judge | Management: Concept
Nick Caton | Culinary: Tasting, Starter | Management: Critical Thinking, Concept
Alex Clark | Culinary: Safety/Sanitation | Cake Decorating
Nathan Dahl | Culinary: Team Presentation/Knife Skills | Management: Critical Thinking, Menu Development and Design
Jesse Davis | Culinary: Costing | Management: Critical Thinking, HR
Sean Dempsey | Culinary: Work Skills/Org. | Management: Menu/Costing
Farzad Farrokhi | Culinary: Product Check In & Taste, Entree | Management: Critical Thinking, Safety & Sanitation
Cory Henkel | Culinary: Taste, Starter | Management: Operations
Sarah Hustead | Culinary: Safety/Sanitation | Management: Marketing
April Johnson | Culinary: Team Presentation/Knife Skills | Management: Concept
Melissa Johnson | Culinary: Taste, Dessert | Management: Marketing
Kimmie LeCompte | Culinary Taste, Dessert | Cake Decorating
Brandon Mccormack | Culinary: Team Presentation/Knife Skills | Management: Operations
Sarah Pethick | Culinary: Work Skills/Org. | Management: Marketing
Blake Rose | Culinary: Product Check In & Taste, Starter | Management: Operations
Matt Sawyer | Culinary: Costing | Management: Menu/Costing
Jeff Slathar | Culinary: Taste, Dessert | Cake Decorating
Ted Thie | Culinary: Taste, Entree | Management: Menu/Costing
Terry Van De Walle | Culinary: Safety/Sanitation | Management: Concept
Chris Verhoek | Culinary: Costing | Management: Operations
Waylon Waite | Culinary: Taste, Entree | Management: Concept
Lacey Weeldreyer | Culinary: Team Presentation/Knife Skills | Cake Decorating
Judge Training Slides | Code of Conduct
| judgetrainingpowerpoint_pdf.pdf |
CODE OF CONDUCT
A culinary judge’s code of conduct mandates uncompromising honesty, integrity, and fairness, ensuring evaluations are based solely on merit without bias regarding race, gender, or affiliation. Judges must avoid conflicts of interest, maintain professional attire, uphold food safety, and provide constructive, respectful feedback.
Key elements of a culinary judge's code of conduct include:
A culinary judge’s code of conduct mandates uncompromising honesty, integrity, and fairness, ensuring evaluations are based solely on merit without bias regarding race, gender, or affiliation. Judges must avoid conflicts of interest, maintain professional attire, uphold food safety, and provide constructive, respectful feedback.
Key elements of a culinary judge's code of conduct include:
- Integrity and Fairness: Judging must be impartial, honest, and free from personal prejudice or external influence.
- Conflict of Interest: Judges must disclose any relationships with competitors and avoid situations that could suggest bias. Judges must take care not to converse with competitors or their instructors outside of competition.
- Professionalism: Judges must act with dignity, wearing professional attire.
- Confidentiality and Communication: Judges should not disclose results early and must refrain from using their position to influence others. Feedback to competitors should be constructive, respectful, and delivered only during designated times.
- Safety and Standards: Adherence to food safety guidelines and, Worldchefs guidelines concerning substances and alcohol consumption is mandatory to ensure a safe environment.
- Anti-Discrimination: Strict prohibition of discrimination based on race, gender, religion, age, or sexual orientation.
Draft Proposals (Available on or before March 3)
As a reminder, the proposals below are drafts. These drafts are merely to get acquainted with the proposals. You will judge the final proposals that are provided the morning of competition. Please take notes as you see fit and compare the draft to final documents provided. ALL PROPOSALS ARE CONFIDENTIAL AND NOT TO BE SHARED.
MANAGEMENT DRAFT PROPOSALS
JUDGE NOTES:
MANAGEMENT DRAFT PROPOSALS
JUDGE NOTES:
- Review each draft proposal in full.
- Jot down any questions/concerns you might have regarding your specific judge area and then view the final proposal at competition to see if updated.
- Have at least 1 to 2 questions ready relating to their concept and your specific area of judging
- CRITICAL THINKING JUDGES - you will want to have at least 2-3 questions for each team in your area. Your Critical Thinking is listed above in the assignments.
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CULINARY DRAFT MENU/COSTING As a reminder, these are drafts. You will judge the final costing/Menu/Recipe documents that are provided the morning of competition. Please take notes as you see fit and compare the draft to final documents provided.
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CAKE DRAFT MENU/COSTING
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COMPETITION JUDGE SCHEDULE
Monday, March 9
1:00 PM | Cake Decorating Judges Arrive JUDGES: Lex, Kimmie, Jeff, Lacey
2:00 PM | Cake Decorating Competition
2:45 PM - 6:00 PM | Culinary Product Check In, Ramkota Kitchen JUDGES: Greg B, Farzad F, Blake R, April J
ALL OTHER JUDGES ARRIVE FOR ORIENTATION
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM | Judge Orientation, Lake Francis Case Room (All judges to attend, unless excused by Seanna)
Tuesday, March 10 | Judge Room: Lake Francis Case
6:00 - 9:00 AM | Continental breakfast served at hotel
7:45 AM | Judge Room (will have coffee and water available) - Lake Francis Case Room
8:00 AM | Competition Kick Off - Convention Center Lobby
8:20 AM | Judges/Quick Connect - Review competition, Lake Francis Case Room
8:45 AM | Cake Decoration Begins, Ballroom A/B/C
8:45 AM | Management Begins, Convention Center Lobby | Feedback in Lake Francis Case Room
11:00 AM - 2:30 PM | LUNCH PROVIDED, D/E (please eat when time allows - Lead Judge in each segment will let you know when to go)
11:20 AM | Culinary Begins, Ballroom A/B/C
5:30ish PM | Awards, D/E
1:00 PM | Cake Decorating Judges Arrive JUDGES: Lex, Kimmie, Jeff, Lacey
2:00 PM | Cake Decorating Competition
2:45 PM - 6:00 PM | Culinary Product Check In, Ramkota Kitchen JUDGES: Greg B, Farzad F, Blake R, April J
ALL OTHER JUDGES ARRIVE FOR ORIENTATION
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM | Judge Orientation, Lake Francis Case Room (All judges to attend, unless excused by Seanna)
Tuesday, March 10 | Judge Room: Lake Francis Case
6:00 - 9:00 AM | Continental breakfast served at hotel
7:45 AM | Judge Room (will have coffee and water available) - Lake Francis Case Room
8:00 AM | Competition Kick Off - Convention Center Lobby
8:20 AM | Judges/Quick Connect - Review competition, Lake Francis Case Room
8:45 AM | Cake Decoration Begins, Ballroom A/B/C
8:45 AM | Management Begins, Convention Center Lobby | Feedback in Lake Francis Case Room
11:00 AM - 2:30 PM | LUNCH PROVIDED, D/E (please eat when time allows - Lead Judge in each segment will let you know when to go)
11:20 AM | Culinary Begins, Ballroom A/B/C
5:30ish PM | Awards, D/E
