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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.
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