News about Business & Hospitality

Journey to the Winner’s Circle: Kentucky Derby Is a Culinary Marathon for Students

Culinary arts and systems student Jacob W. Parobek, of Seltzer, joins classmates to watch the storied Kentucky Derby from a rainy rooftop.

On Wednesday, three days before the Derby, students, from left, Bridget M. Callahan, of Pottsville; Bailey L. Frey, of Watsontown; Bethany R. Taylor, of Moosic; and Stephanie C. Myers, of Catawissa, step away from the kitchens to take in the world-famous track.

From the Fall 2018 Penn College Magazine: Penn College writer/video editor Tom Speicher embedded with hospitality students as they traveled to the 2018 Kentucky Derby. For a quarter century, Penn College students have joined the Derby’s culinary team. Read “Journey to the Winners’ Circle.”

Fit for a Ring: Grad Earns Super Bowl Ring With Eagles

Chris Rutledge, a 2016 graduate of the college’s web and interactive media major, will be fitted for a Super Bowl ring as the Philadelphia Eagles’ digital project coordinator. Photo courtesy of Rutledge

From the Fall 2018 Penn College Magazine: A web and interactive media graduate’s career takes him to the sidelines of the Super Bowl as the Philadelphia Eagles’ digital project coordinator. Read “Fit for a Ring.”

Alumnus Flavorfully Travels From Protégé to Pioneer

Manuel S. Baez Jr.Alumnus Manuel S. Baez Jr., executive chef at Big Water Grille in Incline Village, Nevada, is profiled in the Aug. 23 edition of the Tahoe Daily Tribune. The article traces his involvement with cooking from childhood through his 2011 degree in culinary arts technology to the multicultural influences he brings to the restaurant’s patrons. The article also references alumna Kristi (Ritchey) Genova – featured in Penn College’s magazine and in a YouTube video (and as a returning Visiting Chef) – who has encouraged and enhanced his career.

Publication Taps Chef Charles for Chocolate Know-How

In a recent issue of Bake Magazine, Chef Charles R. Niedermyer II, an instructor of baking and pastry arts/culinary arts, shares valuable ideas for cake decorators wishing to elevate their creations with gourmet chocolate. “Selecting chocolate is critical to success,” says Niedermyer, who holds Penn College degrees in baking and pastry arts and technology management. “In terms of purchasing chocolate, there are important factors to consider.”

Penn College’s Le Jeune Chef Honored by Wine Spectator Publication

Penn College’s Le Jeune Chef Restaurant has again earned an Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine. The restaurant, which offers a teaching-learning environment for faculty and students, has been honored by Wine Spectator every year since 1995.

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Le Jeune Chef Restaurant was named an “Award of Excellence” winner by Wine Spectator magazine.

Wine Spectator is the largest paid wine-focused/wine-lifestyle magazine, reaching more than 3 million readers with each issue. The magazine’s annual Restaurant Awards program recognizes the most exciting wine lists around the world. Honorees are published in its August issue.

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Compass Group Establishes Scholarship at Penn College

A leading food service and support services company has created an endowed scholarship for students in the School of Business & Hospitality at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Compass Group North America, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, has established the scholarship fund, from which $5,000 awards will be made annually.

To be eligible for the Compass Group North America Scholarship, a student must be enrolled full time in Penn College’s School of Business & Hospitality; have successfully completed two semesters with a GPA of 3.0 or higher; have a home residency in Lycoming, Clinton, Union, Tioga, Bradford, Sullivan, Columbia, Montour, Northumberland or Potter counties; have demonstrated financial need; or have been a recipient of a scholarship from the fund in prior years.

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Event Management Intern Devises Successful ‘Sip & Drool’ Benefit

An officer from the Chester County K-9 Unit provides a demonstration during “Sip & Drool,” an event created and managed by Penn College student Victoria A. Sosar, of Berwick, as part of an internship at Beale Manor in Parkesburg. The event raised nearly $2,500 for LaMancha Animal Rescue in Unionville. Sosar is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration: sport and event management.

An event conceived and managed by a Pennsylvania College of Technology student recently raised $2,460 for a nonprofit animal shelter and helped to find homes for several dogs.

Victoria A. Sosar, of Berwick, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration: sport and event management. As part of an internship this summer with Beale Manor, a special events venue in Chester County, Sosar was given the opportunity to plan and hold an event of her own.

“I came up with a bunch of ideas and stuck with the one that I would be most passionate about,” Sosar said. “Which just so happened to be one that had to do with animals.”

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Bagpiper Grants Veteran’s Dying Wish

A bagpiper pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Pennsylvania College of Technology helped to make a terminally ill World War II veteran’s dying wish come true when he played outside the man’s Montgomery County home on July 26.

“I can’t believe this. I hope I deserve it,” 96-year-old Harry Snyder told a WTXF television reporter after Jeffrey T. Steen, an applied management student from Coatesville, played. Snyder’s wish was to hear bagpipes before they play at his funeral, the television station reported. According to the account, he has cancer.

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Faculty Member Joins Panel Discussion on Culinary Education

Chef Mary G. Trometter

A member of the hospitality faculty at Pennsylvania College of Technology was a panelist at the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education’s recent 2018 Leadership Conference in Wisconsin.

Chef Mary G. Trometter, assistant professor of hospitality management/culinary arts, spoke during a session titled “Beyond Cooking Skills,” focusing on soft skills, life skills and professionalism. She provided rubrics developed by the college’s hospitality faculty to assess students’ non-technical skills. The June 16 panel discussion was part of the conference’s “Who Needs Culinary School, Anyway?” series of sessions.

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Penn College Savors the Kentucky Derby

Follow Penn College culinary students as they experience the 2018 Kentucky Derby as key members of the Levy Restaurants team. Twenty-eight students and 10 alumni spent five long, fulfilling days cooking for thousands of patrons at the prestigious clubs and suites overlooking iconic Churchill Downs. The one-of-a-kind experience at the renowned event is a valuable component of the students’ culinary education. “I don’t think anyone can understand how much food – and how high of a quality the food is – without actually seeing it and being here in the dining room looking at it,” culinary arts and systems student Bridget M. Callahan says in a 16-minute documentary added to the college’s YouTube channel. “It’s a lot of work during the week, but once you walk out there, it’s pretty awesome.”

Visitors Get Eyeful on Aptly Named ‘Summer Preview Day’

Admissions Counselor Lee A. Dawson provides an overview of life at Penn College during a welcome session in the Klump Academic Center Auditorium.

Chef Mary G. Trometter, assistant professor of hospitality management/culinary arts, shows families around the kitchens where students prepare fine food for Le Jeune Chef Restaurant.

Michelle D. Karchik, a student ambassador and physician assistant student from Clarence, leads a group on a tour of campus.

Christopher H. Van Stavoren, assistant professor, talks with families about the ins and outs of the college’s automotive technology majors.

Penn College welcomed nearly 100 potential students and their guests Friday for the season’s second Summer Preview Day. The visitors explored instructional labs; enjoyed campus and housing tours; and connected with Admissions, Student Activities, Athletics, Financial Aid and other resources. The final Summer Preview Day will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 28.

Culinary Arts Faculty Presents Session for Consumer Science Group

Chef Paul Mach

A member of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s hospitality faculty recently presented a session at the Pennsylvania Association of Family & Consumer Sciences annual conference in Scranton.

Chef Paul Mach, assistant professor of hospitality management/culinary arts, offered two sessions to the association’s members, providing tips for teaching about – and cooking with – a large variety of grains and dried legumes. The well-attended sessions included samples, recipes and other handouts, and a demonstration. Among grains featured in the recipes are quinoa, kamut and black forbidden rice.

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Penn College’s 32nd Golf Classic Boosts Scholarship Assistance

Dan Boever leaves ‘em laughing during an exhibition at the Penn College Foundation’s recent 32nd Annual Golf Classic, which benefits student scholarships.

A return appearance by one of the most popular performers on the exhibition circuit helped propel the Penn College Foundation’s 32nd Annual Golf Classic into the record books.

The recent event, headlined for the second consecutive time by golf entertainer Dan Boever, was the most successful in its history – topping $100,000 in scholarship support. Compass Group North America was the title sponsor for the tournament, the net proceeds of which benefit the Penn College Foundation Golf Classic Scholarship.

Boever’s talents are contagiously crowd-pleasing, drawing respectful laughter for the proficiency required to make difficult trick shots look so easy.

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Campers Enjoy the Not-So-Lazy Days of Summer

A summer of refreshing, enlightening exploration

The hunger for knowledge continued for hundreds of young women and men who explored the hands-on world of Penn College’s summer camps mere weeks after their school year ended.

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Last updated June 25, 2018 | Posted in Business & Hospitality, Construction & Design Technologies, Events, Faculty & Staff, Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies, Nursing & Health Sciences, Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications, Students, Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies | This gallery contains 32 photos. | Tagged as | Leave a comment

Hospitality Students Savor the Kentucky Derby

Pennsylvania College of Technology hospitality students were the big winners at the 2018 Kentucky Derby. A contingent of 28 students and 10 alumni worked for Levy Restaurants at Churchill Downs throughout Derby Week, a commitment captured in a video added to the college’s YouTube channel. The Penn College representatives played a key role in food production for the exclusive clubs and suites overlooking the iconic track. The long days and mass quantities of food provided a unique, invaluable experience for the students at one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events. “The Derby would not be successful without the Penn College kids’ contribution to this event,” says Chef Robin Rosenberg, chef de cuisine for Levy Restaurants. “They are amazing. They are enthusiastic. Their passion, their work ethic, second to none.”

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Pennsylvania College of Technology is a special mission affiliate of The Pennsylvania State University