• Hometown: Mount Union, Pa.
• Theme: Hawaiian Islands
• Date: Wednesday, March 19

• Hometown: Mill Hall, Pa.
• Theme: Southern Style
• Date: Wednesday, April 23

• Hometown: Leesport, Pa.
• Theme: New England
• Date: Wednesday, April 2

• Hometown: Millerstown, Pa.
• Theme: New Orleans
• Date: Wednesday, April 9

• Hometown: Temple, Pa.
• Theme: Napa Valley
• Date: Wednesday, April 16

Why she chose to pursue a culinary-arts education: I have always loved being in the kitchen and all the shows on TV.

Culinary inspirations: Gordon Ramsay was my biggest inspiration, and he really fueled my love for cooking.

Future: I want to work until I can afford my own food truck. I'd like to be close to a nice beach or a major city.

About the region: The Napa Valley focuses on fresh foods, so a lot of my ingredients will be fresh, and cooking methods are half modern, half classical.

• Hometown: Lock Haven, Pa.
• Theme: Southwest
• Date: Wednesday, March 26

Why she chose to pursue a culinary-arts education: I love the community surrounding food and how we as chefs love to share our knowledge with each other and with the world. We share a passion for lifelong learning with the understanding that our culinary education is never over. I love that, in this industry, through food, drinks, and events we can encourage conversation, community, and understanding of other cultures. I am my happiest, most authentic, and most creative self in the kitchen; it’s where I found my confidence, so it only makes sense to do it for the rest of my life.

Culinary inspirations: Cristina Martinez (South Philly Barbacoa), Sherry Pocknett (Sly Fox Den), Mashama Bailey (The Grey), Kwame Onwuachi (Tatiana)

Future: I want to travel and work with experienced chefs that are experts in their style of cuisine, to learn from them and be guided toward reaching my full potential and goals as chef. I have yet to decide exactly where I want to go from here. I’m using every experience I can in school to network and have options for employment after graduation. I would like to gain experience working at resorts, country clubs, and different styles of event spaces that will give me insight into the type of space I want to create someday, as well as insight into the day-to-day operations of that type of business.

About the region: Some common ingredients you’ll see throughout this menu are rice, beans, corn, squash and peppers as these are all staple crops native to Southwest America. Common cooking methods used in Southwest cuisine include fire roasting/grilling and braising, or the slow cooking of meats in bold, flavorful broths and/or stews.

• Hometown: South Williamsport, Pa.
• Theme: Napa Valley
• Date: Wednesday, April 16

• Hometown: Lincoln University, Pa.
• Theme: Hawaiian Islands
• Date: Wednesday, March 19

Why she chose to pursue a culinary-arts education: I chose a career in hospitality because to me, food is the center of everything. Working in the hospitality field, there is always something new to learn, it is fast paced, no days are the same, and it takes a lot of discipline and passion. It allows for creativity, connections, and at its very core, it is about bringing joy to people through food.

Culinary inspirations: Starting off in culinary, I was just cooking for my family at home. I had no specific celebrity chef I was inspired by, only the passion to provide food for my family. After being in culinary school here at Penn College for the past few months, my teachers have become a huge inspiration and motivation in my career. I have grown and learned so much in only the short time I have been here from my teachers and am looking forward to what else they have in store to teach me over the next few years.

Future: I am enrolled in three majors: culinary arts, baking & pastry, and applied management. I did so because I am not sure where my end goal is yet. However, by completing these majors and gaining as much experience as possible over the next few years, I have many options as to where I can go after graduation. My ultimate goal would be to open my own café/bakery in a small town that strives to support local businesses and practice sustainability. I would love to offer a variety of dietary-restrictive options and put modern twists on classical childhood favorites.

About the region: With Hawaiian-focused food, we used a lot of tropical ingredients such as mango, pineapple, passion fruit, coconut, and fish. Some of the cooking methods we used to prepare our dishes were grilling, caramelizing, sautéing, and steaming.

• Hometown: Lancaster, Pa.
• Theme: Southwest
• Date: Wednesday, March 26