MORRISVILLE, NY—Morrisville State will feature well-known soul food deity and entrepreneur, Juanita Bass, as a guest chef on Feb. 26, at Mustang Alley.
The event, hosted by the Morrisville Auxiliary Corporation (MAC), is one of many the college has planned in celebration of Black History Month.
A guest chef at the college for the past five years, Bass will be cooking up a menu of barbecue chicken, macaroni and cheese, corn bread, collard greens, and sweet potato crunch. Her cuisine will feature her popular Soul Classics barbecue sauce and all-purpose seasoning, once produced at Nelson Farms, a unique combination of business incubator and food processing facility operated by the college.
“Students love her food and look forward to her visit every year,” said Kim Munz, associate director of MAC Dining Services. “She is a testimonial to our students that you can be successful with hard work and motivation.”
It’s those ingredients that have cast the popular chef into the limelight. Bass is well-known for operating The White House Berries Inn, a nationally known restaurant and Bed & Breakfast in Bridgewater, famous for its classic American Soul Food cuisine.
Her culinary excellence and restaurant, which she sold in 2001, have been featured in dozens of magazines from across the country including Bed and Bath, Country Victorian and American Vision.
Bass is also acclaimed through her business, Juanita’s Soul Classics, which she launched in 2004 through the ongoing efforts of WISE (Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship) Women’s Business Center. Her line of products is available for sale at the Nelson Farms Country Store, located approximately five miles west of Morrisville on Route 20.
Throughout the years, Bass has received numerous honors and awards, including: New York State Women of Distinction; recognition from the upper Unadilla Valley Association for the Preservation of Historic Buildings; the Salute to Outstanding Women Award from the YWCA of Utica, New York; the Alpha Theta Chapter of Lambda Kappa Nu Sorority; and the Mohawk Valley Frontiers Outstanding Business Achievement Award.
Bass studied business at Mohawk Valley Community College. She is active in her community, serving on the Morrisville College Foundation Board of Directors and on several boards of directors.
Morrisville State’s curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
In addition to being named to the 2014 President’s Higher Community Education Service Honor Roll, the college was recognized by U.S. News and World Report as an institution in the top tier of the Best Regional Colleges list and ranked second among regional colleges nationwide for outperforming its anticipated graduation rate.