Culinary Arts

Chef Jennifer Lewis, CHE, CCE

Chef Jennifer Lewis joined the faculty at Lexington College in 2003 in the expanding culinary area. She earned a BA in sociology and business from Marquette University as well as an AAS degree in culinary arts from Kendall College. Additionally she holds a Vocational Teaching Certificate from the Illinois State Board of Education and is a Certified Hospitality Educator from the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute.

Chef Lewis' teaching experience includes adult education at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, and high-school education for Clemente Vocational School in Chicago.

She has also taught cooking classes at various Chicago soup kitchens and shelters and was a consultant/volunteer in "Open-Hand" Chicago, an at home food delivery to AIDS patients.

Prior to starting her teaching career Chef Lewis held culinary positions with The Four Seasons Hotel, the InterContinental, and The Everest Room all in Chicago as well as The Ritz-Carlton, Boston. Lewis also owned and managed the Queen Bee Gourmet Deli in Chicago and was a personal chef.

Before stepping into the kitchen, Lewis acquired extensive management experience in the hospitality industry. She managed front of the house operations for The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, was opening staff and trainer for Zinc Brasserie, Chicago, and at Amazing Edibles, Chicago served as manager, menu-writer and special events coordinator. In addition, she worked as a transportation manager in the import & export spice trade for T.J. Harkin Spices.

Chef Lewis brings this wealth of culinary and hospitality management experience to the classroom through Lexington College's culinary labs, purchasing, and menu planning courses.

Chef Linda Rosner, CEC, CHE, Culinary Area Coordinator

Executive Chef Linda Rosner joined the faculty at Lexington College in 2002. She earned a bachelor's degree in developmental psychology at Purdue University. As a member of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) and its local chapter, Chicago Chefs of Cuisine, Inc., she earned her Executive Chef Certification in 1998, and was re-certified in 2003. Chef Rosner is a Certified Hospitality Educator by the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute.

Chef Rosner has accumulated 31 years of experience in foodservice, from managing a retail/wholesale butcher shop and deli, working hotel kitchens with Holiday Inns, Inc. and the prestigious Union League Club of Chicago, and managing three restaurant operations as executive chef. As executive chef at Geneva's Ristorante Chianti, a restaurant she helped to open in 1985, Chef Rosner wrote menus for community events, as well as for the restaurant, including the Chicago Symphony Marathon fundraising event from 1986-1988.

As an active member of ACF Chicago, Chef Rosner served on its Board of Directors three times, including the chapter's hosting of ACF's National Convention in 1999. For her organizational and volunteer services, she was awarded the Federation's highest honor, the President's Medallion. Her networking skills have landed her on the organizing committee for Share Our Strengths' Taste of the Nation annual dinners, as well as volunteer commitments with Elgin's Larkin Center Annual Brunch and United Cerebral Palsy's Great Chef's Tasting Party. In Fall 2002, after beginning her teaching career, she was the first guest chef of the season for Elgin Community College's Distinguished Guest Chef Series on September 17, her 21st anniversary of professional cooking in restaurant kitchens.

In the past four years, Chef Rosner has contributed to the Pro-Start Invitational and the C-CAP (Careers through Culinary Arts Program) as a culinary judge for their high-school competitions. With students from Lexington College, she also presented an original culinary creation at the annual meeting of Foodservice Educators Network International (FENI). In 2003, she was honored with "Educator of the Year" from Lexington College for the Professional Food Production courses taught to freshmen students. In 2004, she joined a group of chefs in forming the ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians, a group of chefs and other culinary professionals and students committed to professional development, continuing education, networking, certification and mentoring culinary students. She was elected to the Board of Directors in 2005, and chairs the volunteer committee and the Awards committee, as well as serving as Recording Secretary. She also serves as chapter liaison between the ACF chapter and the local chapter of the American Personal Chef Alliance, a group dedicated to supporting lifestyle solutions for chefs and their clients through healthy meal planning and execution. Through this partnership, she has brought the reality of this new career path to students at Lexington College.

Mary Rownd

Mary Rownd is an adjunct professor in the Culinary Arts Department and teaches ServSafe, the food safety course from the National Restaurant Association. Rownd received her bachelor's in liberal arts from Albion College and a professional cooking certificate from The Cooking & Hospitality Institute of Chicago.

Professor Rownd has over fifteen years of marketing experience in the hospitality industry. Currently, she is an independent marketing consultant, serving clients in the restaurant, lodging, and franchise lodging industries. Prior to her consulting, she worked in the corporate sector for major corporations such as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Host Marriott Services Corporation, Arby's, Inc., Jewel/Osco, Starbucks and Proctor & Gamble.

Rownd currently serves as the treasurer for the Chicago Chapter of the American Marketing Association and as a food & beverage coordinator for Dream Halloween, a fundraiser for the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation. In her free time, she enjoys yoga and spoils her seven nieces and nephews.