Executive Chef/Owner of Savona to Prepare Visiting Chef Dinner

Dominique Filoni, executive chef/owner of Savona in Gulph Mills, and Andrew Masciangelo, chef de cuisine at the restaurant, will prepare the Distinguished Visiting Chef Series Dinner on Saturday, April 17, at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Tickets for the dinner, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the College's Le Jeune Chef Restaurant, are available for $125. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit the William C. Butler Visiting Lecture Series at Penn College. Butler, who died in 2002, had been the dean of the School of Hospitality at Penn College since 1994, steering the school through three industry accreditations and leading the effort to establish world-class facilities and curricula.

Filoni, a native of St. Tropez, France, graduated with honors from the intensive culinary program at the Lycee Hotelier Institute in Hyeres, France, at the age of 16. For five years, he cooked at several highly regarded restaurants in the French Alps, the French Riviera and Paris.

Filoni moved to the United States in 1995 to accept the position of chef de cuisine at the newly opened Tierra restaurant in Gulph Mills. In 1997, the owners of the former Tierra restaurant promoted Filoni to executive chef at the restaurant, which now is known as Savona. He became one of the restaurant's partners in 2000.

Savona features Riviera-inspired cuisine that has been lauded by John Mariani of "Wine Spectator" and "Esquire" magazines as "exquisitely fresh and wonderfully simple." Savona's menu changes frequently to reflect seasonal ingredients, as well as the evolution of the chef's culinary style. Filoni has been featured on the Food Network and in "Wine Spectator," "Bon Appetit," "Vanity Fair" and "Culinary Trends," among other publications.

Savona has received the DiRoNA (Distinguished Restaurants of North America) Award, Four AAA Diamonds, the Five Star Diamond Award from the National Academy of Hospitality Sciences and Wine Spectator's "Best of" Award of Excellence each year since its opening.

Huntingdon native Masciangelo is a 1997 Culinary Arts graduate of Penn College. During high-school vacations, he worked as a cook in a casual restaurant. While at the College, he accepted an internship at the Hummingbird Room, a fine-dining restaurant located in the lush farmland of Penns Valley, where he prepared French/continental cuisine. During vacations at the College, Masciangelo cooked at Bogie's, a fine-dining restaurant in Huntingdon. During the school year, he gained experience with kitchen management while working at Le Jeune Chef.

After graduation, Masciangelo began working at Savona, rising through the ranks to become sous chef and chef de cuisine at the right hand of Filoni. Currently, he manages Savona's kitchen staff of 15 and assists with menu development. His long-term goal is to be chef/owner of a restaurant.

Filoni and Masciangelo also will offer a cooking demonstration from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on April 15. The event will take place in Room B132 of the Hager Lifelong Education Center. Tickets are $35.

The Distinguished Visiting Chef Series is one of the most prestigious fine-dining events in Pennsylvania, attracting world-class chefs to Penn College. The dinner, which is the culmination of the Visiting Chef activities, is prepared by the visiting chefs and School of Hospitality faculty and students.

To reserve seats for the April 17 dinner or the April 15 cooking demonstration, call the Special Events Office at Penn College at (570) 320-5229.

The menu for the April 17 Visiting Chef Series Dinner is as follows:

Scallop Trio Litchi and Scallop Ceviche, Cilantro, Cucumber, Lime Powder; Scallop and Roma Tomato Carpaccio, Black Truffle Essence; Seared Scallop, Fork Mashed Fingerling Potato, Sea Urchin Froth

Sea-Run Arctic Char Hot Smoked Arctic Char, Fresh and Curly Endive, Seckel Pear Crisp, Blood Orange and Pancetta Vinaigrette

Rhode Island Striped Bass Slow Roasted Wild Striped Bass, Cauliflower Mousse, Roasted Floret, Potato and Olive Parchment, Kalamata Tapenade and Dust

La Belle Farm Poussin Foie Gras and Fresh Herb Stuffed Baby Chicken, Glace Baby Turnip, Poussin Jus

Veal Cheeks Braised Veal Cheeks, Parsnip Puree, Fried Parsnip

White and Dark Chocolate Bombe Chocolate and Mascarpone Mousse, Espresso Gelato

The menu for the April 15 cooking demonstration is:

Crimini Mushroom Soup, Herb Spaetzle, Creme Fraiche Froth, Fried Mushrooms, Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pan Seared Branzino, Swiss Chard, Zucchini Puree, Teardrop Tomato Ragout