ONEONTA, N.Y. -- Internationally known master chef Joseph K. Poon, a 1978 graduate of the SUNY College at Oneonta, will return to his alma mater on Thursday, March 12, to present "The Science of Cooking," a dinner and silent auction fundraiser to benefit the SUNY Oneonta Fund for Science and Technology and the Joseph K. Poon '78 Scholarship. The reception and silent auction will begin at 6 p.m. in the Morris Conference Center, and the dinner featuring the culinary creations of Joe Poon will begin at 7 p.m.
Members of the community are invited to the event. Tickets for the dinner are available at $125 each or $1,000 for a table of eight. Ninety dollars of each ticket will be a tax-deductible donation to the College at Oneonta Foundation in support of the fund and the scholarship. Reservations are available by calling the Office of College Advancement at (607) 436-2535 before Friday, March 6.
A long-time friend of the College and the recipient of a 2006 honorary SUNY Doctor of Humane Letters degree, Mr. Poon has earned acclaim through his success in the culinary industry and his unfailing commitment to giving back to the community. His successful business ventures have included Joe's Peking Duck House, which was named one of America's top 14 Cantonese restaurants by USA Today and which he recently re-opened in Philadelphia; the Sang Kee Restaurant, the Joseph Poon Asian Fusion Restaurant, and Chef Poon's Kitchen Table.
Joseph Poon's dedication to philanthropy ranges from his popular Wok 'n' Walk Tour of Philadelphia to teaching cooking classes for disadvantaged youths. He has translated legal documents for new immigrants, judged speech competitions, tested water for the EPA, and helped the elderly in Philadelphia. He has returned to the SUNY Oneonta many times to prepare dinners to benefit international students and the College. The endowed scholarship in his name supports students in the College's Food Service and Restaurant Administration program in the Human Ecology Department.
The author of the popular cookbook Life Is Short...Cooking Is Fun, Chef Poon has served as an expert consultant for several national and international groups, a visiting teacher and advisor for institutions of higher education, and a member of the advisory board of the SUNY Oneonta Food Service and Restaurant Administration program. He has appeared on many television shows including The Tonight Show, Good Day Philadelphia, Home Matters, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. His Wok and Walk Tour of Philadelphia Chinatown was cited by the Food Network as one of the best culinary tours in the country, spotlighted on the PBS show Christina Cooks, and featured in Group Tour Magazine.
In recent years, Chef Poon has traveled extensively, studied culinary trends, taught cooking classes, and appeared at major international events. He has conducted Chinatown tours for chefs from around the world, carved watermelons for the National Watermelon Promotion Board, and experimented with cooking methods and ingredients from other cultures.
For the dinner he prepares at SUNY Oneonta on March 12, students from the classes of faculty member Oscar Oberkircher and students from the Food and Nutrition Student Association will set up the venue, serve as wait staff, and assist Chef Poon in the kitchen.
In addition to salads and desserts, the menu for the dinner includes appetizers such as crispy Peking duck with sliced jicama and spring onion in Chu Hou essence, lobster fresh mango samosa in French phyllo dough with Thai tangy chili garlic dip, and wasabi pork shrimp She Mai with spinach wrap in honey glaze bourbon essence. The main entrees include pan-seared angus flat-iron steak with creamy red wine and green, red, and black peppercorn essence, as well as steamed Chilean sea bass medallions with fresh ginger scallion sauce.
While visiting Oneonta, Chef Poon will appear as a guest lecturer in Human Ecology classes at the College on March 13. He will also meet with faculty and students from the department to discuss his successes and culinary techniques. On March 14, he will serve as a judge at the 49th annual Cookoff and Recipe Contest co-sponsored by the College and The Daily Star.
More information about Chef Poon's appearance at SUNY Oneonta for "The
Science of Cooking" is available from the Office of College Advancement at
(607) 436-2535.
#####
For more information about the College, please call the Community Relations Office at (607) 436-2748 or send e-mail to Carol Blazina, Vice President for Community Relations.SUNY College at Oneonta - Ravine Parkway - Oneonta, NY 13820 - 607.436.3500
Email the web coordinator if you have trouble accessing this page.
Open the original version of this page.
Lift Assistive is a UsableNet product. Lift Assistive Main Page.