News & Events
CUNY Trustee Named Chef Extraordinaire
President Fred Beaufait and Hospitality Management Department Chair Frank Betancourt honored CUNY Trustee Kathleen Pesile on October 16, naming her “Honorary Chef Extraordinaire in the Department of Hospitality Management" in recognition of her unique contributions toward creating an appreciation for international cuisine and her dedication to the welfare of New York City College of Technology and its students.
Trustee Pesile is well deserving of this unique honor. In her years as an executive for JP Morgan Chase, she traveled extensively, visiting many countries. In almost every case, she says, she was told that women traveling alone couldn't safely leave the hotel at night. Her solution? She spent her evenings in hotels, in the kitchens of great chefs around the world observing, collecting recipes and tasting. In recent years, she was among the founders of the annual "Taste of Italy" (now Taste of the Mediterranean) benefit held on Staten Island. The French philosopher of cuisine, Jean Brillat-Savarin, could have been speaking of Trustee Pesile when he wrote, "The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a star."
