Pungent smoke fills the room as the chefs create their dishes.

The air is heavy with the smell of exotic places, but these chefs come from right here in Oklahoma. And they’re only in high school.

Students from around the state converged in Norman Thursday and Friday for a culinary competition.

The 2007 Oklahoma ProStart Student Invitational was held at Sysco Foods.

ProStart is a two-year, high school-level restaurant management curriculum that educates students in the management skills needed for a career in the restaurant and food service industry.

The class has been in Oklahoma about 10 years, but only recently has become more popular, said Cindi Walls, school-to-career coordinator for the Oklahoma Restaurant Association.

Students at the invitational agreed that their class and this competition prepare them well for a career in the food industry.

“You just learn so many different things about cooking,” Kaysee Johnson said. “Being in this class is preparation for going out into the field.”

Johnson, who participated in the management competition on the Tulsa Technology Center team, said she wants to be a dietitian someday.

Teams of students from high school hospitality and culinary classes as well as technology centers competed in three events Friday: gourmet food preparation, quick service and management/case study.

The gourmet competition was similar to “Iron Chef” on television: High school and adult teams prepared an appetizer, entree and dessert in only one hour.

Derrick Hall, from the original John Marshall High School in Oklahoma City, said everyone in his class got to participate in the gourmet competition by helping to create the menu.

There was also an optional Made in Oklahoma (MIO) component to the gourmet competition; students used three MIO products in their meal.

The director of the MIO Coalition, Richard Wasson, said MIO became an event sponsor four years ago to build awareness about MIO products.

He said the skills the students learn in this competition can be used in a variety of fields.