EUGENE, Ore. — The Lane Community College Foundation, in partnership with the LCC Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Program and the LCC Center for Meeting and Learning, is pleased to announce the guest chef for the 15th annual Harvest Dinner to be held Wednesday, October 25, 2017. LCC culinary arts alumnus Maximillian Petty has agreed to be this year’s guest chef. Max is a 2011 LCC graduate with a degree in culinary arts.
Since graduating from Lane, Max has worked at King Estate Winery, and then in Austin, Texas, where he was honored as a Zagat Austin’s “30 Under 30” and received the “Austin Under 40” award from Austin Young Women’s Alliance/Austin Men’s Business League. Max, a Seattle native, returned to his hometown and opened his restaurant, Eden Hill, in the Queen Anne section of Seattle in 2015. The Seattle Times name Eden Hill as one of Seattle’s 10 best new restaurants in 2016. Recently, Max received top culinary recognition as a semifinalist for the James Beard Rising Star of the Year. Eden Hill is a small restaurant which features seasonal, avant garde, New American cuisine.
Regarding his time at Lane, Max says, “What I liked the best about LCC was that it's a small program that allowed individual attention. My instructors knew me and my work and I knew them and their style, which isn't necessarily true for all culinary programs.” When it comes to naming his favorite instructor, Max can’t choose just one because he feels “they all taught me something different I still draw on today.” However, he says that “Chef Clive Wanstall taught me how to have fun in the kitchen and not take myself or cooking too seriously.” And “Dr. Lisa Benson taught me how to be hospitable and network, which is a huge part of why I've been so successful.” Max adds, “My advice to incoming students is to immerse yourself in every opportunity presented to you and approach your career with an open mind.”
The Harvest Dinner is the Foundation’s annual fundraiser to support students, scholarships and programs at LCC. The Harvest Dinner raised more than $3.8 million since it began. As guest chef, Max will collaborate with culinary arts faculty to design the Harvest Dinner menu, then guide Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management faculty and students in the production and service of a multi-course meal for 400 guests in the Center for Meeting and Learning.
Zagat is one of the most recognized names in restaurant reviews, with best-selling guidebooks available for cities worldwide. Zagat is based on the concept of crowdsourcing reviews from actual customers, with the premise that rating restaurants based on hundreds or even thousands of experiences is inherently more fair and accurate than relying on one reviewer’s experience.
For accommodations to attend this event, contact the Center for Accessible Resources at (541) 463-5150 (voice), 711 (relay), or -email AccessibleResources@lanecc.edu
For more information about Lane Community College:
Lane is an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabilities Employer
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