Quakertown Chef’s Camp receives five-star reviews

Christopher Polk’s Advanced Chef’s Camp began on Monday. By Wednesday, the Quakertown Community High School educator had his students ready to cook and serve diners at “Panther on Park,” a pop up restaurant across the hall from his cooking lab. “It’s crazy,” Polk said after the event, which was aired by WFMZ Channel 69 reporter Jamie Stover. “I just met these kids two days ago.”
They executed a menu that included a salad, caprese flatbread, surf & turf with vegetables and potatoes, and crème brûlée. Reviews from the district employees who sampled the cuisine said the dishes were outstanding. “It was really impressive, pretty darn amazing what they put together,” said Terry San Angelo, an administrative assistant in the Office of Teaching and Learning. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lisa Hoffman appreciated that the young chefs were tasked with much more than cooking. “They were serving, and they had to explain what was on the plate. It was a whole experience for them.” Polk, a Project Lead the Way teacher in the district’s pre-engineering program, is so passionate about cooking that he works as a pastry chef for Crowne Plaza in Reading. He created a Chef’s course at the high school that he also teaches. “This went really well,” he said. “It felt chaotic at times, but it was an organized chaos. I like giving the experience to the kids. It’s really exciting that they want to come here in the summer and do this. They worked very well together.” Morgan Magdich, one of the campers, told WFMZ “It’s fun, but really stressful at same time, which makes it really fun, and kind of like you’re on a game show.”