Students Complete Internships at Knoebels Amusement Resort
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Two baking and pastry arts students from Pennsylvania College of Technology spent the summer helping to fill thousands of stomachs at one of the area’s most-loved destinations: Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg.
Autumn E. MacInnis, of Trout Run, and Timothy L. Kuntz, of Wyalusing, spent the summer producing baked goods at the park’s Cookie Nook.
“The best part about interning at Knoebels was the mass quantity we had to make each week and just seeing how much product needed to be made to make it through the entire weekend in the park,” MacInnis said.
Many know Knoebels has one of the top wooden roller coasters in the world, but some may not know that it is a consistent top contender for Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket for Best Food.
The students, both sophomores in the baking and pastry arts major, were given a special opportunity to develop and pitch their own ideas for the Cookie Nook’s menu.
“We were told at the beginning of the summer they had plans to redesign the entire bakeshop, and they wanted a bigger product line,” MacInnis said.
The students worked on their ideas all summer, conferring with Chef Todd M. Keeley, instructor of baking and pastry arts/culinary arts, to come up with a list of products to present to the park’s upper management. (Among Knoebels’ administrative team is Brian Knoebel, a 1993 graduate of Penn College’s food and hospitality management major.)
“We played around with different ideas each week until we came up with some items we thought would really sell,” MacInnis said.
They prepared samples from cakes and cheesecakes to focaccia and sandwiches. While decisions for next year’s menu are still
under consideration, the students report that their ideas were well-received and, moreover, the internship was a valuable learning experience.
“I chose Knoebels because I wanted to see what it was like working in an amusement park all summer,” MacInnis said. “I also wanted to see just how much work had to be put into making enough product to feed thousands of people for the entire weekend. It was a great experience, and I am glad I had the chance to go there.”
To learn more about baking, pastry and culinary arts majors at Penn College, call 570-327-4505. For more about the college, which is celebrating its Centennial throughout 2014, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.
Autumn E. MacInnis, of Trout Run, and Timothy L. Kuntz, of Wyalusing, spent the summer producing baked goods at the park’s Cookie Nook.
“The best part about interning at Knoebels was the mass quantity we had to make each week and just seeing how much product needed to be made to make it through the entire weekend in the park,” MacInnis said.Many know Knoebels has one of the top wooden roller coasters in the world, but some may not know that it is a consistent top contender for Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket for Best Food.
The students, both sophomores in the baking and pastry arts major, were given a special opportunity to develop and pitch their own ideas for the Cookie Nook’s menu.
“We were told at the beginning of the summer they had plans to redesign the entire bakeshop, and they wanted a bigger product line,” MacInnis said.The students worked on their ideas all summer, conferring with Chef Todd M. Keeley, instructor of baking and pastry arts/culinary arts, to come up with a list of products to present to the park’s upper management. (Among Knoebels’ administrative team is Brian Knoebel, a 1993 graduate of Penn College’s food and hospitality management major.)
“We played around with different ideas each week until we came up with some items we thought would really sell,” MacInnis said.
They prepared samples from cakes and cheesecakes to focaccia and sandwiches. While decisions for next year’s menu are still
under consideration, the students report that their ideas were well-received and, moreover, the internship was a valuable learning experience.“I chose Knoebels because I wanted to see what it was like working in an amusement park all summer,” MacInnis said. “I also wanted to see just how much work had to be put into making enough product to feed thousands of people for the entire weekend. It was a great experience, and I am glad I had the chance to go there.”
To learn more about baking, pastry and culinary arts majors at Penn College, call 570-327-4505. For more about the college, which is celebrating its Centennial throughout 2014, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.