Student-Created Recipes Featured in December at Le Jeune Chef

Students from the culinary arts program at Pennsylvania College of Technology have provided ideas for Le Jeune Chef Restaurant's December/holiday dinner menu, to be served from Dec. 5-20.

For the month, the restaurant's multicourse offerings feature ideas by Christopher D'Annibale, Center Valley; Matthew W. Dickey, Franklin; and Joshua J. Fidler, Schuylkill Haven; with support from Benjamin B. Smith, Allentown; Russell J. Hackenburg, Pittsburgh; Ronnie E. Lindsay, Bowie, Md.; and Matthew C. Onderko, Gillett (along with Le Jeune Chef Sous Chef Robert A. Armstrong).

All the students are employed as interns part time by Le Jeune Chef and work in the restaurant when not in classes or labs. The restaurant is operated by Penn College's School of Hospitality and serves as a live-learning laboratory for students.

"The various dishes presented by the students reflect items and flavors of the season, with emphasis on contemporary presentations and techniques," Armstrong said.

He said the students are encouraged to participate through menu suggestions year-round as part of their internship process and have feature nights with menus of their own design. The students are rotated through the different kitchen stations and have a chance to prep and produce several of the items used for service to the public.

"Le Jeune Chef's dinner menus emphasize variety, full flavors, contemporary styling and seasonal ingredients," Armstrong said. "Except for the month of December, menus change weekly to expose students to a wide variety of cuisines, cooking techniques and food products."

Dinner-service hours are Wednesday through Saturday, with seatings available from 5:30 to 8 p.m. For more information about Le Jeune Chef Restaurant, call (570) 320-CHEF (2433) or visit online .

For information about the academic programs offered by Penn College's School of Hospitality, visit on the Web or call (570) 327-4505.