More than 100 high school students, most already taking hospitality-related courses in their secondary school, explored Penn College’s baking and culinary majors on Dec. 1.
Engaging emissaries from Pennsylvania College of Technology will again be part of the winter celebration of the commonwealth’s agriculture industry and those whose lives and livelihoods depend on it. Students and employees from the college will travel to the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg from Jan. 6-13 for a variety of activities that reflect this year’s theme of “Connecting Our Communities.”
Pennsylvania College of Technology faculty and students recently lent their knowledge as presenters and assistants at the Retail Confectioners Association of Philadelphia’s fall event. In addition, a Penn College instructor was presented the association’s 2023 “Candy Hook Award,” and the association announced its intent to establish an annual scholarship for the college’s students.
A few had never flown or been outside of the United States. For some, not even beyond Pennsylvania or any farther south than Virginia. And if any of their good fortunes ever included travel to the Caribbean, that touristy resort experience offered no hint of how revelatory everyday life can be. When they boarded their flight in Philadelphia in June, not even a 16-week preparatory class on their Penn College campus could have adequately prepared them for their imminent awakening in the Dominican Republic.
Chef Roberto Caporuscio recently brought the 300-year-old art of Neapolitan pizza making to the kitchens of Penn College’s hospitality program, where he offered a demonstration and hands-on lesson to students in the Global Cuisine & Connections course, taught by Chef Mary G. Trometter. Caporuscio’s visit was facilitated by Giacomo Berselli, founder of the Marco Polo Program Abroad in Italy.
A 2012 Penn College baking & pastry arts graduate recently offered instruction to Jackie Lewandoski, co-host of “Home & Backyard” on WNEP. Sabrina (Strassner) Branning, owner of Baked by Brina in Milton, opened her bakery’s kitchen to show viewers how to make and decorate a pumpkin spice cake with cinnamon cream cheese icing, providing handy pro tips throughout the process.
Students in the Bakery Operations & Product Development class hosted a trade show in Le Jeune Chef Restaurant on Friday, pulling together the skills they’ve learned throughout their baking & pastry arts coursework.
When staff and students from Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Le Jeune Chef Restaurant catered daily meals for the teams participating in the 2023 Little League Baseball World Series, they had an extra token to share: trading pins designed by Penn College graphic design student Brock R. Hower, of Montoursville.
Penn College culinary arts & systems and baking & pastry arts grad Dylan Therrien ’18 has found a culinary playground at Brush Creek Ranch, where he is executive sous chef in the luxury resort’s fine-dining restaurant. His work at the 30,000-acre Wyoming destination is featured in the August-September issue of Covey Rise, “a distinctive magazine devoted to the upland sporting lifestyle.” The article is titled “Passion to Plate in the Great American West.”
Pennsylvania College of Technology’s association with the Little League Challenger Division dates back to the early 2000s, when a faculty member – with two kids playing in the first two exhibition games – turned parenthood and passion into a volunteer gig. Decades later, Steven J. Moff, professor of business administration/management and marketing, is still on board.
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