WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Pennsylvania College of Technology baking and pastry arts faculty member Chef Charles R. Niedermyer II recently presented an education session for Retail Confectioners International’s 2021 Annual Convention & Industry Expo.
RCI bills the sessions as “thought-provoking education led by experts in their fields and crafted to meet the unique needs of the retail confectioner.”
Chef Charles Niedermyer Credit: Penn College / Penn State. Creative Commons
Niedermyer, instructor of baking and pastry arts/culinary arts, presented “Nougat: An Artisan Approach,” providing a guided tasting of various types of nougat and discussion of ingredient selection, formulation, production and storage. The session was attended by about 175 RCI members.
Niedermyer earned an associate degree in baking and pastry arts and a bachelor’s in technology management, both from Penn College. He has been teaching at the college since 2005.
In addition to serving as a presenter and author for RCI, Niedermyer is an active member of the Bread Bakers Guild of America. He frequently presents at industry shows and assists with educational conferences across the country, often involving Penn College students in the experience. He also leads Penn College students in preparing food for thousands of guests at the Kentucky Derby each year and is a guest instructor for the Department of Food Science at Penn State, teaching baking science and product development.
He is a 2018 Bake magazine “Twentyfive” top educator and is one of Dessert Professional Magazine’s 2017 Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America. In 2015, Niedermyer was a finalist for the Bread Bakers Guild of America’s Team USA, which competed at the 2016 Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie (World Cup of Bread) in Paris.
Before returning to Penn College as an instructor, Niedermyer worked in the hotel, restaurant and baking industries, including work for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. and the Penn State Bakery.
He has received awards from Penn College for Excellence in Teaching and Excellence in Academic Advising and was selected by a former student to present the college’s annual “My Last Words” lecture.
From independently owned businesses to multimillion-dollar corporations, Retail Confectioners International aims to provide a forum for confectioners to meet, network, share ideas, solve mutual problems and develop their candy making and entrepreneurial skills. The 2021 RCI Annual Convention & Industry Expo was held July 19-23 in Columbus, Ohio.
Penn College offers an associate degree in baking and pastry arts and a 12-month certificate in professional baking, as well as an associate degree and certificate in culinary arts, each of which can be rolled into a bachelor’s degree in applied management or business administration. To learn more, call 570-327-4505 or visit www.pct.edu/baking.
For information about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, visit www.pct.edu, email admissions@pct.edu or call toll-free 800-367-9222.
Jennifer Cline