Thursday, Dec 1, 2016
Haley Vassiljev’s 'Nickey Chickey' makes it on the December menu
by Robert Leitner ’17
The winning recipe from this year’s 107.7 The Bronc Rider Student Top Chef contest will be featured on the menu of PJ’s Pancake House in Princeton and Princeton Junction from Dec. 1-31.
Rider Student Top Chef is a contest that puts students' culinary skills to the test. This year's "Cluck U" version challenged students to create the best chicken-based meal. The competition provides The Bronc's student workers with valuable real-world experience in executing a large scale radio promotion, as well as student chefs with an engaging competitive experience.
Haley Vassiljev, a junior studying digital media, crafted “Nickey’s Chickey” to win this year's contest. Learning to cook from her father this past summer and with his help developing the recipe, she decided to include his nickname, Niki, with a slight change to make the dish more memorable. The entre includes fried panko crusted chicken breasts, topped with a creamy pancetta sauce and served over a bed of egg noodles. It will be served for $13.95 at PJ's, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting The Parkinson Alliance, a national nonprofit based in Princeton dedicated to raising funds to help finance the most promising research to find the cause and cure for Parkinson's disease.
Vassiljev, who was awarded a 55-inch Vizio HDTV among other prizes, enjoyed her eye-opening experience in the competition. “It was a lot of work cooking in Daly’s, you gain a lot of respect for what the Daly's workers do every day,” she says. “Everyone was so nice and helpful. All the compliments I got on my dish definitely made the whole thing worth it!”
PJ’s Pancake House is a part of the Geratlia Hospitality Group, which includes four other restaurants in the central New Jersey area and is owned by John Procaccini '97.
"John has been an ardent supporter of 107.7 The Bronc for the past six years, especially Rider Student Top Chef," says John Mozes, general manager of 107.7 The Bronc. "We have been featuring our student dishes for all five of our Rider Student Chef competitions. "
PJ’s Pancake House is located at 154 Nassau St., Princeton, and 64 Princeton-Hightstown Road, Princeton Junction.