Local Chef Signs On At The Abraham Lincoln Hotel In Reading

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Berks County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay most likely had bigger challenges for chef Andrea J. Heinly on Season 5 of Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” but serving 160 French tourists carved top round in her new job as banquet chef at the Abraham Lincoln hotel definitely was top of the list of her new challenges.

“I didn’t know a lick of French,” Heinly said.

The French tour group is just the beginning of what’s in store for the 37-year-old Reading resident.

Heinly’s goal, she said, is to make the Abe the best place in Reading, the top banquet facility.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article/20131214/MONEY/312149985#.UqyRsfRDsxI

Racine Sets Down Roots In Pottstown

Greg Vassos has traveled a long road from his native Massachusetts to Pottstown – Providence, R.I.,, Barcelona. Grand Cayman, Palm Beach.

Now he’s a first-time solo act, 20 minutes up Route 422 from King of Prussia.

The Johnson & Wales-trained chef has been getting great notices in the early going of the fine-dining Restaurant Racine, a 30-seat BYOB that took over earlier this month for Funky Li’l Kitchen in Pottstown (232 King St., 610-326-7400).

It’s sustainable, locally sourced cuisine prepared with French technique and artful presentation.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/the-insider/Racine-opens-in-Pottstown.html#6iRm0DMv2PJGZEZq.99

Pottstown’s Funky Lil’ Kitchen Is Still Open

This was on Facebook and they asked that it be shared. We too were under the impression the restaurant was closing so they could do a food truck.  This is NOT so. Please see their post below:

Hey Friends…

Funky Lil’ Kitchen is still OPEN!!! 🙂

Yes, we are opening HEART Food Truck, but Funky Lil’ Kitchen IS NOT CLOSED.  Since the announcement of our plans to open HEART came out, Funky Lil’ Kitchen has experienced a severe decline in business. 😦

WE ARE HERE, and planning some of the season’s best menus!  We need YOU, our customers and friends, to come dine with us & pass the word along that Funky Lil’ Kitchen is still open…so we can stay open…

Please SHARE, SHARE, SHARE!

Thank you! ♥

Chef Appeal: Pittsburgh’s Growing Restaurant Scene Attracts Staff From Bigger Cities

Pittsburgh‘s up-and-coming dining scene not only is starting to generate buzz among locals, it’s also becoming known as a good place to build a career.

Indeed, the city’s new outcrop of restaurants is one of the industries — in addition to technology, health care, engineering and education — that’s drawing young people to Pittsburgh.

“The chef who wants to make a break for it has a paved path in Pittsburgh,” said Brandon Baltzley, 28, the Chicago-based firebrand chef who has spent the past year here working as a cook in restaurants and staging pop-up dinners.

“Easy living, affordable everything and a burgeoning food scene: This is an area that will soon get attention on a national level.”

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/life/dining/chef-appeal-pittsburghs-growing-restaurant-scene-attracts-staff-from-bigger-cities-686340/#ixzz2STEtrnO0