Preferred Meals chef wins IFSA national competition

BERKELEY - Preferred Meals Executive Chef P.J. Lemoncelli recently won the International Flight Services Association Best In-Flight Executive Chef of 2016 at the 8th Annual Chef's Competition.

Lemoncelli competed against chefs from around the world. Each chef was provided with a marketbasket of ingredients from which they performed his or her culinary magic to produce an onboard-ready creation in 30 minutes. Judging was based upon presentation, flavor, textures, and doneness.

This year, the chefs worked with five ingredients to create the appetizer and entree: sea asparagus, white miso paste, king trumpet mushrooms, langoustine and beef tenderloin. Chef Lemoncelli's winning appetizer was Langoustine sautéed in Butter/Olive Oil with an Israeli Couscous Salad with Sea Asparagus and garnished with Lightly Seasoned Microgreens and Lemon Oil. The winning entree was pan-seared Asian Beef Tenderloin with a Sweet and Salty White Miso Trumpet Mushroom Glaze and Pan Roasted Fingerling Potatoes.

"I put my heart and soul on the plate and cooked with passion," Lemoncelli said. "Our entire Preferred Meals team puts the same passion into every meal we develop for our customers," he added.

"We are extremely proud of Chef Lemoncelli for winning this prestigious competition." George A. Chivari, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Preferred Meals said. "He is recognized for his creative and innovative recipes, and meticulous, organized approach to meal preparation. Chef Lemoncelli always strives to develop great tasting meals for Preferred Meals customers," Chivari added.

Chef Lemoncelli was awarded a personalized chef jacket and two round-trip tickets to Hawaii as well as bragging rights for a year. He received a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Arts Degree from the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, PA and graduated with honors (Cum Laude). He has been with Preferred Foods for 9 years and resides in Dunmore, Pennsylvania with his wife Shelly.

Preferred Meals is one of the country's largest suppliers of meals to public and private school districts, charter schools, senior citizen facilities and airlines.