Students to Join Chef of Super Bowls to Prep Benefit Dinner

A chef whose culinary creativity has been evidenced at Super Bowls, the Grammy Awards and the Kentucky Derby is set to lend his knowledge to Pennsylvania College of Technology students as they join him in the next edition of the college’s Visiting Chef Series.

Robin Rosenberg, vice president and chef de cuisine for Levy Restaurants, will spend three days on campus, working with students in the college’s School of Business & Hospitality to create an elegant meal on Friday, April 20. Proceeds from the Visiting Chef Dinner fund scholarships in the college’s baking and pastry arts, culinary arts and hospitality management majors.

Rosenberg will be joined by Chef John G. Scourlas, senior pastry chef for Levy Restaurants, who will also lead and mentor students.



Rosenberg and Scourlas have been employed for a combined 36 years by Levy Restaurants, which pioneered the concept of fine dining in stadiums at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Rosenberg directs culinary development for Levy Innovations, the in-house team of strategists who create “beyond-the-plate” food experiences for the company’s major league sports and entertainment partners.

Rosenberg started his culinary career in his parents’ delicatessen in California. After cooking at several small restaurants, he became the chef at Yosemite National Park’s Villa D’Oro Restaurant. He then took a position as chef de partie at the Lawry Foods five-star Five Crowns Restaurant in Corona Del Mar, California.

Four years later, he joined Hilton, where he managed the company’s $30 million banquet business in Chicago and was sought for several hotel-opening galas. After serving for four years as executive sous chef of the Beverly Hills Hilton, he was named executive chef of Hilton’s Minneapolis property in 1992. The same year, he was named the company’s Chef of the Year.

He has hosted parties for Sylvester Stallone, Bette Midler and Merv Griffin, and in 2006, he was tapped as chef for the USA Men’s Basketball team.

Scourlas has worked in the baking industry for 43 years, starting at 15 in his brother-in-law’s bakery, where he worked after school and on weekends. His career has led him to New York, where he was chef/owner of Christina’s Pastries, as well as Montreal, Atlanta and Scottsdale, Arizona. Before joining Levy Restaurants in 2004, he worked in Alaska, where he catered to clients from around the world. He received three consecutive Best of Chocolate awards in Phoenix, and his work has received honors in Atlanta.

For many Penn College students, the Visiting Chef experience will serve as a reunion with Rosenberg, with whom they’ve worked at the famed Kentucky Derby. Twenty-eight Penn College students have again been hired by Levy Restaurants to help prepare food for high-end venues at Churchill Downs during the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby in early May.

Tickets for the Visiting Chef Dinner, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Le Jeune Chef Restaurant, are $125. To reserve seats, visit the registration webpage, email or call the Office of Facilities & Events at Penn College at 570-320-5229.

The menu and wines for the April 20 dinner are:

Reception
Lump crab flutes with “spicy Louie” and chive
Ahi tuna and smoked-salmon lollipops
“Stinky” pimento cheese crostini
Secoli, Pinot Grigio, 2015, DOC Venezia, Italy
Babylon’s Peak, Shiraz Carignan Blend, 2015, Paardeberg Swartland, South Africa

First Course
Alaskan king salmon butterfly
Served with sea scallop and lobster mousse, dill crème fraiche, caviar, and Champagne dressing
Shannon, Chardonnay, Circle O Ranch, 2015, Lake County, Mendocino, California

Second Course
Sharp cheddar popcorn bisque
Amber lager, aged cheddar and fresh popped corn

Main Course
Rack of pork
Slow-smoked and apple cider-brined, served with sweet onion and honey crisp chutney, crispy smashed rosemary russets, and natural jus
Santa Julia, Reserva, Malbec Cabernet Franc Mountain Blend, 2015, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina

Dessert
Chocolate mousse box
Filled with fresh berries, apricot glaze, raspberry quenelle and chocolate batons

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, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.