Westmoreland County Community College will host “Celebrity Chef in the Kitchen” Monday, April 12 with Melissa Kelly, the executive chef and co-owner of Primo, a Rockland, Maine restaurant.

            The event includes a 6 p.m. hors d’oeuvre reception and 7 p.m. dinner featuring the cuisine of Chef Kelly and Chef Jason Ziobrowski of Indian Harvest Heirloom Grains prepared that day by the college’s culinary arts and hospitality students. 

            Kelly’s Primo restaurants, with locations in Rockland, Maine; Tucson, Arizona; and Orlando, Florida serve Italian/Mediterranean cuisine using farm fresh ingredients, much of which are grown on site.  She is the 1999 James Beard Foundation winner of the American Express Best Chef, Northeast Award.  Her culinary talents have been recognized in “Food & Wine,” “Bon Appétit,” “Gourmet” and other national magazines.

            Kelly will participate in a 5 p.m. VIP reception which will include a book signing and tastings of her signature dishes along with wine tastings from Greendance Winery.

            Indian Harvest Heirloom Grains will be featured in one-hour seminars highlighting the nutritional and health benefits of whole grains presented by Ziobrowski starting at 9 a.m. and at 3 p.m.

Celebrity Chef in the Kitchen is sponsored by the American Culinary Federation Laurel Highlands Chapter in cooperation with the WCCC Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality and with a grant from the WCCC Education Foundation.  Proceeds from the event fund tuition scholarships and provide other financial support for WCCC culinary arts and hospitality students.

Seating is limited and two levels of reservations are available.  For the hors d’oeuvre reception and dinner reservations are $75 per person.  To attend both seminars, the private reception with Kelly, the hors d’oeuvre reception and dinner, reservations are $100 per person.  To make a reservation, call the college at 724-925-5980.

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