The Pierre T.F. Riggs High School ProStart Culinary Team earned a trip to the national competition for the second year in a row after winning first place at the South Dakota ProStart® Invitational in Pierre Tuesday (March 10, 2026).
The South Dakota Retailers Association organizes the state contest and the results were posted on their Facebook page Wednesday morning (March 11, 2026).
According to the Retailers, members of the Riggs team are Tanir Taylor, Zoe Kinney, Christian Stanley, Emma Robertson and Kate Stolley. They’re instructed by Lakisha Jordan, more commonly known as Chef J. Additionally, Zoe Kinney received the President’s Leadership Award.
ProStart® is a two-year high school program that develops students into restaurant and hospitality leaders.
By winning their respective categories, the Pierre T.F. Riggs Culinary team and the Harrisburg High School Management team advance to the National ProStart® Invitational next month (April 24-26, 2026) in Baltimore, MD.
CONTEST RESULTS:
Culinary:
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Pierre T.F. Riggs High School– Tanir Taylor, Zoe Kinney, Christian Stanley, Emma Robertson and Kate Stolley. Instructed by Lakisha Jordan.
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Rapid City Stevens High School– Alex Knutson, Howard O’Neal, Ava Rosenau and Marios Tsoukalas. Instructed by April Malik.
Management:
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Harrisburg High School– Shylah Hansen and Jax Rosenbaum. Instructor Deb Rombough.
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Sioux Falls CTE– Austin Tegethoff, Kimberly Stark and Bethany Carrol. Instructors Janelle Whempner and Samantha Kelsch.
Cake Decorating:
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Mitchell CTE– Dailyn Kiner. Instructor Cindy Gerlach.
Clark Kelley Legacy Award:
The Clark Kelley Legacy Award is a new to the event. It was created to celebrate the dedication of Clark Kelley as a long-time ProStart judge and supporter of ProStart. Clark had a knack for connecting with students and making safety and sanitation a high priority. This award was presented to the culinary team with the highest safety and sanitation score. Sturgis Brown High School was selected for the award. Team members were Kurtis Capp, Xandria Goodall and Ashlyn Larson. They were instructed by Mica Sulzbach-Bataille.
Tanir Taylor, Zoe Kinney, Christian Stanley, Emma Robertson and Kate Stolley.
Photo courtesy of the South Dakota Retailers Association.
Zoe Kinney from Pierre T.F. Riggs High School received the President’s Leadership Award.
Photo courtesy of the South Dakota Retailers Association.
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