WNEP-TV’s Mackenzie Aucker visited Le Jeune Chef Restaurant to do an “appetizing” story about Penn College students cooking next week at the 150th Kentucky Derby. More than 25 students will continue the college’s tradition of preparing food for Churchill Downs’ premium venues throughout Derby Week.
As the famed Kentucky Derby celebrates its 150th running on May 4, Pennsylvania College of Technology students and employees will be in action, providing gourmet dining to VIP spectators. Twenty-six Penn College students were selected for Derby Week internships following on-campus interviews by staff of Levy Restaurants, which operates dining services at Churchill Downs (the Kentucky Derby’s home).
WBRE’s “Eyewitness News” team visited Penn College’s culinary arts labs early Wednesday to broadcast live as students prepared for this evening’s Napa Valley dinner in Le Jeune Chef Restaurant. The restaurant, open to the public, is a live-learning lab for students. Additional pieces recorded in the kitchens are set to air on today’s 11 a.m., noon and 5:30 p.m. newscasts.
Tune in to WBRE’s “Eyewitness News Daybreak” Wednesday morning for live broadcasts from Penn College’s Le Jeune Chef Restaurant. WBRE’s Sydney Kostus is set to visit the restaurant, where she will interview culinary arts students live at 5, 5:30, 6 and 6:30 a.m. Recorded segments will also be broadcast on WBRE’s “Eyewitness News” later in the day.
In the coming weeks, Pennsylvania College of Technology culinary arts students will practice kitchen management skills as they serve a series of dinners featuring American regional cuisine in Le Jeune Chef Restaurant. Served Wednesdays, March 20 to April 24, each week’s menu features signature cuisine from a different corner of the U.S. – from New Orleans’ Cajun and Creole flavors to New England’s famous seafood.
An organization promoting sustainable agriculture recently presented a Lifetime Service Award to Chef Michael J. Ditchfield, a 2023 Pennsylvania College of Technology retiree and current part-time instructor. Each year, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture presents Pasabilities Awards to honor farm, community and business leaders who serve as examples for advancing sustainable agriculture through innovation and collaboration.
Chef Charles Niedermyer II's "Zest for Life" is explored in the latest episode of the Tomorrow Makers podcast, and like a baklava or mille-feuille, the conversation sinks deep into delicious layers. From his teen years of washing dishes in a bakery to working at The Ritz-Carlton to shepherding Penn College students to the Kentucky Derby, the wide-ranging discussion covers a lot of ground.
The delicious duo of beer and food was explored at the first “Cooking with Class: Meet the Brew Masters” event, held recently in Le Jeune Chef Restaurant on Pennsylvania College of Technology's campus. The evening featured a reception, a tour of the college’s brewing & fermentation science lab, and a three-course dinner paired with beers provided by New Trail Brewing. Proceeds from the gathering are supporting the brewing & fermentation science major.
Pennsylvania College of Technology’s baking and pastry arts faculty, joined by nine students, presented several educational sessions at the two-day Artisan Bakery Expo East, held at the Atlantic City Convention Center in New Jersey.
While friendly faculty and staff welcomed visitors to the 108th Pennsylvania Farm Show through varied activities at the Penn College booth in the Giant Expo Hall, students and chefs from the School of Business, Arts & Sciences joined celebrities and alumni alike on the always-busy Pennsylvania Preferred Culinary Connection stage.
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