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Welcome to the

LRA Education Foundation

Our Mission

The Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation (LRAEF) is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization that was founded in 1995 and is governed by a board of directors made up of restaurants, industry experts and educators in the hospitality industry. The Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation exists to enhance the industry's service to the public through education, community engagement and promotion of career opportunities. 

The three main programs that LRAEF offers are ProStart, a high school culinary and restaurant management program; the LRAEF Scholars, which provides scholarships to students pursuing a degree in culinary arts or hospitality; and the Restaurant Youth Registered Apprenticeship, which is an earn as you learn program.

LRAEF Board of Directors

Tammy SmithermanHeartland Payment SystemsChair 
Michael Eastman, Auto-Chlor System, Vice Chair 
Greg Reggio, Taste Buds ManagementSecretary/Treasurer
Garret LeBlanc, B&G Food Enterprises
Tony Rodrigue, Acme Oyster House
Bobby Hufft, Ecolab
Octavio Mantilla, BRG Hospitality
Derrick Dunne, Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers

Stephen Hightower, Baton Rouge Epicurean Society
Emery Whalen, QED Hospitality, Jack Rose Restaurant,
New Orleans
Glen Armantrout, Mahony's Po-boys & Seafood, New Orleans
Jason Jones, Sysco, Immediate Past Chair 

Academic Advisor
Dr. Yvette Green, UNO Kabacoff School of HRT 

Industry Representatives
Felton Jones, PJ's Coffee

Ex-Officio
Stan Harris, CEO, Louisiana Restaurant Association
Jonathan Baynham, Executive Director
Alan Guilbeau, PJ's Coffee

​LRAEF Articulation Agreements

The LRA Education Foundation is proud to partner with these educational institutions through articulation agreements, which provides a smooth transition of credits from the completion of ProStart I and II. We are grateful to these schools for their commitment to the foodservice and hospitality industry.

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Annual Reports

Education Foundation News

Lakeshore High, Chalmette High Represent Louisiana at National ProStart Invitational

April 30, 2024

Latest News ​ProStart students from Lakeshore and Chalmette High Schools represented Louisiana at the National ProStart Invitational in Baltimore, in the Culinary and Management competitions, respectively. The Lakeshore team demonstrated their techniques and creativity in the culinary competition via a three-course menu that featured scallops, beef and strawberries. Chalmette showcased their “Española” restaurant concept in…

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LRA Education Foundation Announces Winners of Louisiana Seafood ProStart Invitational

March 11, 2024

Latest News The LRA Education Foundation presented the Louisiana Seafood ProStart Invitational on March 6-7 at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center. ProStart is a two-year culinary arts and restaurant management curriculum in nearly 60 Louisiana high schools, with 2,000 juniors and seniors participating. Sixty-three percent of Louisiana’s ProStart program attended the Invitational. The Invitational…

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LRA Education Foundation Announces 2024 Scholars

February 26, 2024

Latest News The Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation (LRAEF) Board of Directors, through its Scholarship Fund, will award $60,000 in scholarships to 17 students. The LRAEF Scholars will be honored on March 6 during the annual “Serving the Future-Celebrating Careers in Hospitality” presented by Ecolab event in New Orleans. The LRAEF Scholarship Fund was created…

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