Meet the Chefs | restaurant-sobremesa

Meet the Chefs...

The Culinology Class of 2016

JULIANA DUENAS

. . . developed the French Beignet dessert dish. Her love for southern sweets and comfort food inspired her to create a more elevated version of the New Orleans French beignet. Juliana is involved with multiple school productions including Broadway Night and Sounds for Hope, as well as being a part of the school choir and on a swim team. She wants to double major in music and neuroscience, and employ this knowledge in advancing research on music therapy. Juliana’s hobbies include singing, dancing, reading and swimming. Her favorite food is a tie between steak and empanadas. Her favorite part of culinary is having a sustainable amount of freedom in the kitchen to experiment and try out new and exciting methods or recipes. Juliana’s favorite culinary memory was the freshman trip to Chelsea Market in New York City.

MAIRA PANO

. . .developed the Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb entree, and was inspired by an episode of MasterChef. Her culinary inspiration is Gordon Ramsay. Maira is a member of the NHS and will most likely be attending Rutgers University in the fall, majoring in either nutrition or biology. She is an aspiring doctor, either in optometry or dermatology. In ten years, she sees herself driving a Mercedes-Benz. Maira likes to hang out with her friends in the spare time she has between working as a cashier in PriceRite and school. She is talented at doing makeup and her favorite food is pasta. Maira’s favorite thing about culinary is the friendships she’s formed among her classmates of four years and her ultimate culinary memory is when Dalia set off the fire alarm sophomore year and the entire school was standing outside for an hour.

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CHLOE GEORGIADIS

. . . developed the stuffed mushroom appetizer, and was inspired by her love of mushrooms. Her ultimate culinary inspiration is her mother. She is an aspiring actress and also a part of the school’s drama club. In her spare time she likes to watch soccer and play soccer as well. In ten years, she sees herself living as an acclaimed actress in Los Angeles and happily married to a wealthy soccer player. Her favorite part of culinary is the friendships she’s created and her favorite memories consist of sneakily eating raw cookie dough whenever possible.

DALIA JAWABRAH

. . . developed the Eggs Benedict dish that is featured as an appetizer on our menu. Her inspiration for his dish arose from her love for brunch, her favorite meal of the day. Fellow foodie friend, Joanne Peragine, is her culinary inspiration. Dalia is still deciding on where to attend in the fall but she would like to study something in the medical field. And in 10 years sees herself hopefully having a stable job and making bank! Her favorite thing about culinary is the best friends she has made over the four years in the major. She vividly remembers her favorite culinary memory as being when she did NOT set off the fire alarm during her sophomore year, and how everyone still blames her to this day.

JOANNE PERAGINE

. . . developed the modified Ratatouille dish, which is a vegetarian entree on this year’s menu. Joanne takes inspiration from her mother, a master of Italian cuisine, which is why she added an italian twist on traditional ratatouille. Joanne is a peer mentor and spends her off time working as assistant manager at Plaza 46 Diner. Joanne plans to study biomedical engineering in the fall. Her favorite thing about the culinary is the people she shares the class with, who have become some of her closest friends. Her favorite culinary memory is setting off the fire alarm with Dalia during her sophomore year.

MANASI KULKARNI

. . . developed the Chicken Roulade entree, and was inspired when exploring french techniques paired with vegetarian flavours. Manasi will most likely be attending Rutgers University in the fall, majoring in Psychology and Math. She aspired to go into research of developmental and cognitive psychology. Manasi is an enthusiastic member of Bergen Tech’s drama club and recently participated in the Hispanic IDT performance at cultural night. When she is not busy with school she loves to read, dance and watch the TV show, Parks and Recreation. Her favorite food is her mother’s homemade chicken curry. Her favorite part of culinary is the people in the class and her favorite memory was seeing visiting chef, Fabio Viviani.

RYAN BELTRAN

. . . developed the Beef Empanadas appetizer, and was inspired by his love for empanadas. His culinary inspirations are his father and Anthony Bourdain. Ryan is an aspiring physical therapist and wants to study the subject in college. In ten years, he sees himself living lavishly somewhere on the east coast. In his spare time, he likes to watch and play basketball, as well as boxing. His favorite thing about culinary is tasting everything he makes, especially chicken, as it’s his favorite food. His favorite culinary memory is remembering Chef B’s birthday and he loves to be as helpful as he can towards his fellow culinary classmates.

KYLE SEABOLD

. . . developed the Beef Bolognese entree. He was inspired to make the dish because it gave him the opportunity to make and cut his own pasta, from scratch. He will be studying biology in the fall and hopes to go into a career of scientific research and design. In his spare time, Kyle loves to relax, play sports and occasionally fish. He is a part of the baseball team and on the Quizbowl team as well. Kyle’s favorite food is pizza, and finds himself talented in being as positive as possible. His favorite culinary memory was the walking tour of Chelsea Market in New York City during freshman year.

SAHBRA ELDOSOUGI

. . . developed the Apricot Glazed Sea Bass entree. She was inspired to make it because of its difficulty. She feels that well made fish is a kind of culinary achievement and that making it correctly is like a right of passage. As someone who really enjoys sea bass and sweet and savory combinations, she thought this dish was perfect for a sophisticated restaurant. Her curiosity about food and culture really inspires me to cook. She says that there is no feeling as gratifying as creating a dish, serving it, and having people love it. For some time Sahbra was deciding between culinary school and going into a STEM major. She’s come now to the conclusion that science is something she’s always loved and wants to pursue it in the future as either an engineering or biology major. In the future she aspires to do research, travel and work with like-minded people. Sahbra loves to crochet and she loves ALL food, especially authentic ramen with thick noodles and lots of vegetables. Sahbra says her favorite thing about culinary is definitely her class and teachers, “all of them have made my life so much more fun and exciting”. She doesn’t think she will ever be in another group of people where we all genuinely care about each other and have as much fun as they do in culinary. She admires Chef B and Chef G greatly, saying both are incredible people and incredible chefs that have definitely affected her life in a positive way. Sahbra says “About a month ago Chef B was explaining something with one hand in the air so I walked by and high-fived him. It was really funny to me for no reason. I think Chef just thought I was crazy.” This is her favorite culinary memory. Sahbra feels that her best talent is embarrassing herself in public . . . and all her friends agree.

SABRINA CARION

. . . developed the Meyer Lemon Souffle with a blackberry sauce. The contrasting tastes of sour citrus and sweet tang inspired her to make this dish. She will be studying at Boston University in the fall, however, she is undecided on a major. She was part of the Hispanic IDT performance on cultural night. She loved culinary because she can taste foods she has never encountered before, and especially loves empanadas. Her favorite culinary memory is when Dalia almost burnt down the school.

CARLA SANCHEZ

. . . developed the Stuffed Fried Gnocchi entree. She was inspired by the different flavours and textures she has encountered throughout her career in the culinary major and decided to stealthily combine them. Carla plans to study biology in the near future. She is a part of the Bergen Tech Heroes & Cool Kids chapter and took part in the Hispanic IDT performance that took place on cultural night. Her favorite food is empanadas, and her favorite thing about culinary is tasting all different and exotic types of foods. Her favorite culinary memory is walking into the fridge one day and seeing a hotel pan full of live lobsters with a chicken on top of them.

ARISTIDES ESCOBAR

. . . developed the Salmon Cakes entree. He was inspired by his love for salmon and wanted to see how he could transform its beauty into a different form by deconstructing it. His culinary inspiration is health and what makes not only your taste buds feel good, but also your body. He plans to study Biology in the fall and hopes to continue on into medical school. In ten years, he sees himself opening up a private practice as a pediatrician. Aristides is the vice president of NHS, a singer for Sounds for Hope, a Peer Mentor, a Source of Strength, and a former lacrosse player. His favorite food is cookies and his favorite thing about culinary is Chef B’s jokes. Aristides reminisces on his favorite culinary memory as being when the class visited the Culinary Institute of America, and had a three-course sit down dinner in one of its acclaimed restaurants.

ERICA KIM

. . . developed the scallops with spinach and garlic risotto entree. She hoped that creating this dish would give her experience and insight into developing seafood recipes, something that she think is especially fun because of her love of seafood. Erica plans on starting college at Rutgers University, New Brunswick in the fall. She aspires to have a stable and fulfilling job that allows her to pursue her many interests that include photography, and spending time with her family in her spare time.

JULIA KASBARIAN

. . . developed the Beet and Goat Cheese Salad. Her vegetarian lifestyle inspired her to make a dish that was appealing to everyone, regardless of their eating habits, and her ultimate culinary inspiration is Julia Child. Julia plans on studying either biology or nursing in college and in ten years sees herself having an enjoyable and fulfilling career. Julia is a volunteer EMT in her spare time. She appreciates all food, and therefore does not believe in favorites. Her favorite thing about culinary is sense of community that the class possesses. Julia’s favorite culinary memory was the visit to the Culinary Institute of America junior year. After four faithful years as a culinary student, she believes she has finally perfected her best skill and ultimate talent: kneading dough.

LYDIA AREVALO

. . . developed the Honolulu burger and was inspired to make this dish by something she ordered for dinner on Valentine’s day. Her culinary inspirations are usually other dishes that fit the category of simple yet developed. She will be attending Fordham University at Rose Hill in the fall, for communications and media studies. Lydia is an aspiring PR specialist and hopes to one day represent a multi-million dollar company. She is on the girls varsity lacrosse team and also a peer mentor. In her little spare time, she likes to relax and finds herself especially talented at procrastinating. Her favorite thing about culinary is wearing the checkered chef pants and her favorite food is chicken parmesan with vodka sauce. Her favorite culinary memory was when she got the chance to incorporate her latino and middle eastern roots during the junior fusion restaurant.

MICHELLE BAIRD

. . . developed a recipe for the Duck a La Mûre entree. Michelle’s culinary inspiration and the reason she decided to create this dish is her grandmother. Her grandmother moved from France to America at the age of 17 and loved to cook. She spent time with her grandmother throughout her childhood and has cherished memories of learning how to cook. In college, she would like to study physics or electrical engineering. Michelle’s career aspiration is to become a scientific researcher and get a PhD in particle physics. In ten years, she hopes to have gotten into a prestigious graduate school in order to complete her degree before moving into her chosen field. In her spare time she loves to read and write. Michelle also enjoys doing small engineering projects with her friends and playing volleyball.

KLAUDIA KOKOSZKA

. . . developed the Blood Orange cake dessert. She was inspired to create this dish, despite not liking cake, because she loves the decorative aspects of making a dessert. In preparation for this restaurant, she spent a lot of time combining design with new flavor and color components to create the unique experience of eating something delicious and artful. She believes that the striking color and uncommon flavor of the blood orange make it the perfect creative ingredient. A major motivation to her cooking recently has been the work of pastry chef Francois Payard. A lot of her inspiration is drawn from nature and she enjoys using fruits in many of her pastry concepts. Klaudia has an intense passion for learning and being able to help others. In college she would like to study Environmental Studies, Public Policy & Planning, History, Political Science, Economics or Sustainability, just to name a few of her many interests. In general she would like to pursue a career where she can change lives for the better including non-profit work and community development anywhere in the world. Klaudia would love to see herself working at the United Nations headquarters in New York where she can act to help people on a national or even global platform. As head editor of BT Ink, she loves to read and write poetry. Her favorite foods are Pad Thai, Filipino Turon and anything with avocado on it. Klaudia’s favorite culinary memories are the class trip to Chelsea Market where the class bought loose, gourmet tea and Chef B’s recurring game of dramatically shooting things into trash cans and, sadly, missing . . .very often.