New chief for Culinary Arts Institute
TOWAMENCIN » The Culinary Arts Institute at Montgomery County Community College has appointed a new director.
Executive Chef John De Pinto, who has served as the institute’s business manager since 2013 has been named to fill the post. The Culinary Arts Institute is located at 1400 Forty Foot Road in Towamencin.
According to Gaetan T. Giannini, MCCC Dean of Business and Entrepreneurial Initiatives, De Pinto had a “highly successful career” before joining the college.
“John’s extensive experience will bring great value to the county’s culinary community as well as benefit Montco’s students,” Giannini said in a press release.
In the institute’s first five years, De Pinto helped increase admissions while reducing operational costs and raising productivity, according to the college. In 2015, he received the college’s Mustang Award “for services above and beyond expectation.”
De Pinto’s professional background includes culinary consulting, catering and food service. He Pinto has also taught at and managed local institutions, including The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia, where he was a chef instructor; and at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, where he was the regional executive chef. While at Lehigh, De Pinto was responsible for all the hospitality needs of the Dalai Lama during his 2008 visit to the university.
Working with food is some
thing De Pinto wanted to do from an early age. His first job at age 12 was as a helper at a Dunkin’ Donuts owned by a friend of the family.
“By 13 or 14, I was mixing dough and making donuts,”
he said in the release, adding that he also worked at a deli owned by his parents. “I never thought about doing anything else.”
De Pinto earned his bachelor’s degree in culinary arts management from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island and his master’s degree in leadership development from
Penn State University, Great Valley.
He has received the Operational Excellence Award from the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association, as well as the Dirona Award of Excellence and the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence from the Founders at Park Hyatt at the Bellevue.
De Pinto also serves as a staff sergeant for logistical planning in the Air National Guard; recently returning from a seven month deployment to Kuwait.
The Culinary Arts Institute of Montgomery County Community Col- lege opened in Aug. 2013. The 15,000 square foot facility features four stateof-the-art
kitchens and equipment, three SMART classrooms and a retail bakery café and restaurant — which allow students to develop real-world food preparation and customer service skills.