Penn College Announces Food Show Winners

Pennsylvania College of Technology has announced the winners of its annual Food Show, held Dec. 2 to display the artful work of students in hospitality-related majors.

The Chef Eugene Mattucci Best of Show Award was granted to Keegan D. Sonney, a baking and pastry arts student from Erie, for a festive “Flan in the Forest” plated dessert. The eye-catching plate comprised RumChata flan topped with cranberry gelee and served with a chocolate stick, shortbread cookie crumbles, cranberry-mint sauce, mushrooms and edible flowers.



The Best of Show Award is named for the late chef/owner of Mattucci’s Italian Restaurant in Mount Carmel. Mattucci was a longtime Penn College advisory committee member and Food Show judge.

Sonney’s dessert also received first place among submissions from the Classical and Specialty Dessert Presentation course. In addition to desserts, Food Show entries included chocolate sculptures and hors d’oeuvres. Guests also watched a demonstration of tableside entrée preparation by students in Classical Cuisines of the World.

The projects were judged by Robert E. Engle, owner of Catherman’s Homemade Candy and part-time instructor of baking and pastry arts; Stephen A. Manley, executive chef of Le Jeune Chef Restaurant; and Sue L. Mayer, owner of Grammy Sue’s Cakes and Cookies and a retired Penn College baking and pastry arts faculty member.

Winners in each course are:

Advanced Garde Manger (hors d’oeuvres): First place, Eliza B. Cook, of Towanda, and Sean E. Creegan, of East Petersburg; second place, Bridget M. Callahan, of Pottsville, and Melyce E. Kenyon, of Canton; third place, Paige E. Cooke, of Wayne, and Somer A. Safford, of Port Allegany.

Classical and Specialty Dessert Presentation: First place (and Best of Show), Keegan D. Sonney, of Erie; second place, Alexis L. Kepley, of Reading; third place, Nathan Diaz, of Reading; honorable mentions, Natascha G. Santaella, of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and Lloyd A. Shope, of Blanchard.

Principles of Chocolate Works: First place, Keegan D. Sonney, of Erie; second place, Alexis L. Kepley, of Reading; third place, Danielle M. McGuire, of Quakertown; honorable mentions, Sarah I. Tielmann, of Tatamy, and Paige E. Pearson, of Williamsburg.

To learn more about hospitality majors at Penn College, call 570-327-4505.

For information about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education and workforce development, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.

– Photos by Jennifer A. Cline, writer/magazine editor
and Anna C. Miller, marketing and communications specialist, School of Business & Hospitality

... an offering of turkey roulade stuffed with roasted cranberry cornbread; roasted vegetable and ricotta cheese terrine; vegetable flowers; and cornbread stuffing crostini with cranberry goat cheese spread.

Chef Charles R. Niedermyer, instructor of baking and pastry arts/culinary arts, left, talks with judges about students’ chocolate boxes, which were exhibited but not judged. Judges, from left, are Robert E. Engle, part-time instructor and owner of Catherman’s Homemade Candy; Stephen A. Manley, executive chef of Le Jeune Chef; and Sue L. Mayer, owner of Grammy Sue’s Cakes and Cookies and a retired faculty member.

Second place in Advanced Garde Manger was awarded to Melyce E. Kenyon and Bridget M. Callahan for their “Thanksgiving Harvest” spread, …

- … with a “Four Seasons” menu of lamb loin en croute with pork mousseline and flaky brioche dough, strawberry roses, apple birds, sweet coulis, venison mousseline with brioche leaves, and sweet potato casserole in a flaky pastry with toasted marshmallows.

Somer A. Safford and Paige E. Cooke took third place in Advanced Garde Manger …

- … with a “Winter Holiday” spread that comprised duck roulade, turkey and apple sausage, sautéed green beans with mushrooms, garlic and shallots, and cranberry fig compote.

A chocolate replica of the Burl Ives-voiced narrator from the “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” television special joins the show, courtesy of Katie M. Weakland.

First place in the Principles of Chocolate Works course was awarded to Keegan D. Sonney …

- … whose chocolate-sculpted polar bears explore an icy plateau.

A festively adorned chocolate house by Danielle M. McGuire takes third place in Principles of Chocolate Works.

Tielmann’s chocolate wolf howls before a landscape of purple mountains.

A canine howls in the moonlight on an honorable mention-earning sculpture by Sarah I. Tielmann.

Santa waves from his sleigh in a chocolate sculpture by Paul J. Herceg.

Snowflakes fall ‘round a snowman in a chocolate snow-globe vignette that earned second place for Alexis L. Kepley in Principles of Chocolate Works.

Alexis L. Kepley’s second place dessert, “Very Berry Cheesecake,” features a chocolate crust and is topped with nitrogen-frozen strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and kiwi.

Nathan Diaz prepared the white-ribbon dessert, a composition of chocolate bread pudding, caramelized bananas, dulce de leche sauce and melted milk chocolate.

Lloyd A. Shope earned an honorable mention in Classical and Specialty Dessert Presentation for an almond cake filled with sage pastry cream and garnished with a blackberry macaron, white chocolate-nut cookie crumble, a sugar corkscrew and white chocolate sauce.

Pumpkin cheesecake gets dressed up for show by Crystal A. Calaman.

Judges awarded honorable mention to Natascha G. Santaella’s chocolate decadence cake. The cake is layered with chocolate-orange buttercream and chocolate squares, toasted almond bark and mint buttercream.

A Christmas cheesecake trifle, with a pistachio crust, vanilla bean cheesecake, raspberry sauce and a white-chocolate tree was the handiwork of Andrea L. Solenberger.

Strawberry mousse encased in a chocolate jaconde and served with peach coulis, Chantilly cream and gingersnap crumbles, presented by Sarah I. Tielmann

Food Show visitors view intricate plated desserts.

Chef Paul Mach, “You’re the Chef” co-host and assistant professor of hospitality management/culinary arts, warms up the crowd in the Academic Center Auditorium. The audience is made up of high school students who attended a presentation on modernist cuisine before touring the facilities for hospitality majors and attending the Food Show.

Chef Frank M. Suchwala, associate professor of hospitality management/culinary arts, enthusiastically introduces the morning’s demonstrations.

The big screen shows the equipment that will be used by audience volunteers when they “cook” with liquid nitrogen.

Keegan D. Sonney’s Best of Show entry, “Flan in the Forest,” was the first-place winner among Classical and Specialty Dessert Presentation entries.

Jaclyn C. Gregg demonstrates an example of restaurant tableside cooking.

An hors d’oeuvres tray by Sean E. Creegan and Eliza B. Cook was awarded first place in the Advanced Garde Manger course …

Gifts beneath Lloyd A. Shope’s chocolate tree beckon Christmas daydreams.

Melissa N. Aucker sculpted Charlie Brown and Snoopy in Principles of Chocolate Works.

A long line of chocolate sculptures makes a grand show for high school and campus visitors.

Andrea L. Solenberger’s chocolate masterpiece expresses a “wish” for filled stockings.

A tree teeters over a toy railroad in a chocolate sculpture by Paige E. Pearson. The piece received an honorable mention from judges.