Tuesday, January 12, 2010

HCCC to hold memorial celebration for chef James Crowley

Hudson County Community College (HCCC), Jersey City, N.J., will hold a memorial reception on Jan. 14 in honor of James Paul "Jimbo" Crowley, a former chef-instructor at HCCC who passed away on Dec. 12, 2009.

A Newark, N.J. native, Crowley earned his degree in culinary arts from HCCC's Culinary Arts Institute. He also was awarded the title of Certified Executive Chef and Certified Culinary Educator from the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Institute and received his New Jersey teaching certification from St. Peter's College in Jersey City.

During his career, he served as executive chef at Silver Creek Country Club in Hellertown, Pa.; Shackamaxon Country Club in Scotch Plains, N.J.; and Brooklake Country Club in Florham Park, N.J. He worked adjunct instructor at HCCC from 1995 through 2007 and most recently was a chef-instructor at West Side High School in Newark. Crowley was a board member and past president of the Northern New Jersey Chapter of the ACF, and collaborated with HCCC on several trainings and competitions through ACF.

The reception will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the school's Culinary Arts Institute/Conference Center. There is no charge for admission to the reception, though attendees are encouraged to make donations to fund a scholarship that has been established in Crowley's name.