Kendal Johnson

Hospitality inspires me in several different ways. First, I believe in providing incredible customer service by treating every customer with the same respect and kindness. Following is sourcing the highest quality of goods to achieve the finest products and knowing how to present the products cleanly and elegantly. It is also very important to have strong connections within your community. These are the people purchasing your products and whom you may be sourcing ingredients or packaging materials from. Finally, it is essential to pay attention to detail in the production and final presentation of your products and their display setup.

My favorite class so far has been Bakery Operations and Product Development. This course is designed to experiment with developing products like gluten-free and vegan foods and also experimenting with other products such as ice cream. The course is also designed to allow each student to create their own mock business with three sample products that will be displayed for “customers” to try and give feedback. Students must create business cards, a menu, packaging concepts, pricing, mission and vision statements, core values, a profit-and-loss statement, and all other aspects of forming a business. Another class I also really enjoyed was Cake Decorating. I loved the creativity aspect of the course and getting to learn all of the different components of cake assembling and decorating techniques.

What I appreciate most about our baking and pastry professors is their willingness to help us achieve our fullest potential. They are always there to answer any questions, help us improve our skills through teaching us techniques, and assist us in connecting with possible connections for internships or jobs after graduation. They want to see us achieve our fullest potential and are consistently available to help with whatever a student may need.

Attending the Kentucky Derby last May was an impactful moment I experienced as a student. It was an incredible experience where I was able to work with many other talented chefs and not only put my skillset to use, but also expand my skills with new techniques taught while there. Nothing was more rewarding than after completing all the long hours for the week, being able to watch the big race with my fellow Penn College students and professors. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience I’ll forever be grateful to be a part of.

Penn College’s Baking & Pastry Arts program has taught me the skills and techniques of the industry. I also learned the science and history behind these techniques through courses such as Introductory Baking, Cake Decorating, Bakery Production, Professional Cooking, Product Development, and Advanced Breads. The program also teaches fundamentals such as purchasing, sanitation, menu planning, cost control, nutritional concepts, and facilities planning. These courses are teaching me the skills and concepts of the industry that will one day allow me to open my own successful business.

I am greatly appreciative of this scholarship and its support. The scholarship will decrease some personal stress for paying tuition bills. The assistance from this scholarship will allow me to focus more on my studies.

Students from my baking class helped give tours to the guests during the hors d’oeuvres course. I had given tours to groups of guests who were excited and eager to explore the back of house. The guests asked me questions about what classes baking students took, dinner services Le Jeune Chef Restaurant, and what the different spices between the baking and culinary labs were used for. I was happy to answer all of their questions! During the tour, guests walked through three kitchen-based labs students take classes in. Each kitchen had a different sample for guests to try and also see students actively working in the lab. Personally, it was enjoyable to give tours to the guests and be able to interact with them. You could tell they were excited to be here, and students were also thrilled getting to display all of our hard work.

The third-semester baking and pastry arts students created a southern trio dessert. The dessert included a creamy chess pie, bread and butter pudding, and molasses ice cream. My partner and I were assigned to prepare the ice cream for the course. When preparing ice cream, we usually use a milk base, but for the molasses ice cream, it was a creaming-based method. It consisted of brown sugar, molasses, cream cheese, and then slowly adding in half and half. This was a new technique I had learned when preparing the molasses ice cream. When it came time to plating, my fellow students and I learned how to strategically prep plates for over one hundred guests. We have all completed the Classical & Specialty Dessert Presentation course, where we prepare plates as they are called to order, but this was our first time experiencing a large plating event. It was a strategy I found efficient, and I will use it throughout my career.

George Logue is an incredible chef with an inspiring story, and I am grateful for the opportunity of working alongside him. He has done some incredible work, from his time at Penn College to the Food Network competitions and to running his establishment, Herman & Luther's. He makes various in-house breads and when it came time for us to prepare the bread, he was generous in sharing his tips and tricks for his bread making. He demonstrated to my class his technique of baking off his flatbread that was topped with rosemary, sea salt, and oil. He was ecstatic to learn we were preparing a few of his favorite desserts from his southern travels.