Alumni Career Feature
Dean Yasharian
We feature alumni with interesting careers from a variety of career areas. To find out more about the alumnus profession contact them via the e-mail provided. Or if you are interested in being featured, e-mail us at alumni@pct.edu.
Dean Yasharian
- B.S., Culinary Arts Technology, 2003
- A.A.S., Culinary Arts Technology, 2001
- Daniel Restaurant
- dyasharian@hotmail.com
When Dean was a junior in high school, he began cooking and considered pursuing a career in the restaurant industry. While still in high school, he took a job as a dishwasher at a hometown restaurant. After two years, he was promoted to the position of main cook.
Dean became intrigued by the possibility of becoming a professional chef after learning about the culinary program at Penn College. Realizing that cooking food is what he had been doing for the past two years, turning it into a profession made sense.
Once enrolled, Dean discovered he was required to complete a variety of internships. He had the opportunity to work at Stephan Pyles’ Star Canyon Restaurant inside the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Penn College’s Le Jeune Chef Restaurant, and the Virginia Beach restaurant Mahi Mahs.
He also worked at a variety of local restaurants while attending Penn College. While working at Williamsport’s Old Corner, he was asked to be one of the members of the opening kitchen team at 33 East, another local restaurant owned by the same family. Dean attributes much of his current day success to what he learned at 33 East.
When Dean completed his associate’s degree, he decided to stay on for another two years to complete his bachelor’s degree. He was enjoying his time at 33 East and decided to continue learning both on the job and in school.
When he graduated with his bachelor’s degree, Dean received an invitation to live with his sister in England. He easily decided to pack his bags and move across the Atlantic. It took him a little over a month to find an employer who would sponsor his work visa.
Dean went to work at Midsummer House in Cambridge, a restaurant that serves French Mediterranean cuisine. When he began, the restaurant was a one-star Michelin rated restaurant. A year later it had received its second star, making it one of the top fourteen restaurants in the United Kingdom.
Dean was unable to get his work visa renewed when the year was over. It was time to find a new position in the United States. Once again, he received an invitation to live with a sister – this time in New York City.
Although Dean had a variety of interviews, he had a few specific restaurants in mind. One of his top choices was Daniel, a restaurant owned by world-renowned chef Daniel Boulud. After interviewing at Daniel, Dean worked a two-day free trial to prove his capabilities. He ultimately landed the position of chef de partie.
Since starting at Daniel in April, Dean has been rotating among the various stations in the kitchen and has learned a vast amount from the legendary Boulud, as well as the other great chefs working there.
Dean would like to continue traveling and working around the world. Eventually, he would like to open his own restaurant, where he can then use the knowledge he has gained from other chefs and can create his own style of cuisine.
