Bricco is a collaboration between the Olewine School of Culinary Arts at Harrisburg Area Community College and Harrisburg Hotel Corporation, managing general partner of The Hilton Harrisburg. In our kitchens, HACC’s chefs and restaurateurs of the future perfect their skills alongside some of the brightest stars in the industry today.

Bricco was made possible through a gift from Benjamin Olewine III and his family. A visionary, Mr. Olewine realized that a facility of this quality would allow the Olewine School of Culinary Arts to position itself amongst the elite of culinary programs in the country. Mr. Olewine’s passion for the food service industry started in 1932 when, as a young boy, he worked behind the counter of his father’s business, Olewine’s Cheese House, located in the Chestnut Street Market, just steps away from our restaurant. He steadfastly built the business into one of the top seventy-five institutional food companies in the country before selling to Sysco Foods in 1988. Throughout his career, he was known for his passion, loyalty, commitment to quality and his benevolence. It is Bricco’s goal to honor Mr. Olewine and his family by embracing his legacy of quality, integrity and service.

We believe that great cuisine features the freshest and best quality ingredients on the market. This project has been partially funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. As such, we emphasize the use of Pennsylvania agricultural products and local producers through the PA Preferred Program. Pennsylvania is a world leader in the production of high quality agricultural products. Bricco’s Mediterranean cuisine serves as the gastronomic canvas upon which Pennsylvania products are used to create a culinary masterpiece. Our students gain invaluable experience learning how to source local producers and utilize them as partners in the creation of world class cuisine.

Finally, please don’t forget to visit our two retail shops on Chestnut Street, Olewine’s Meat and Cheese House, and Ciao!, a bakery. Olewine’s features raw portions of our quality meats and specialty cheeses for your enjoyment at home. Ciao! features artisan breads, specialty pastries and desserts prepared in our kitchens and featured at Bricco.

We hope you enjoy your experience and we look forward to the pleasure of serving you often. Buon Appetit!
 

Executive Chef Jason Viscount

Jason ViscountYork native Jason Viscount did not always dream of becoming a chef. He was, however, fortunate enough to have a role model to learn from. As the hostess of many dinner parties, Viscount’s grandmother prepared meals such as Welsh rarebit, made with cheese, beer and mustard sauce.

During his middle school years, Viscount also had a chance to learn from his restaurateur father, and working in two of his father’s restaurants sparked his interest in culinary arts. Viscount and his family lived in the basement of one of the restaurants, and food deliveries coming into the restaurant via Viscount’s bedroom were a regular occurrence.

Viscount’s life had always been influenced by fine cuisine and the food service industry, and by the time he needed to decide upon a career. Viscount didn’t hesitate to attend the Restaurant School of Philadelphia.

It was at the Restaurant School that Viscount fully developed and nurtured his passion for food. After graduation, Viscount returned to central Pennsylvania and became a chef at the Yorktowne Hotel, followed by a stint at Hotel Hershey’s Circular Dining Room and eventually an eight-year run as chef de cuisine at Harrisburg Hilton’s Golden Sheaf.

Now at BRICCO, Viscount enjoys the title of executive chef and all of the responsibility and creative freedom that come with it. Since starting at BRICCO, Viscount has been cooking up numerous accolades for himself and the restaurant. In 2007, Harrisburg Magazine readers named BRICCO “Best New Restaurant” and in March 2008 Viscount was named Chef of the Year by the Hershey Harrisburg Tourism and Convention Bureau.

Viscount’s zeal for fine food is not put on the back burner when he exits the restaurant after work. At the home Viscount shares with his wife, you’ll find him enjoying his extra-large kitchen that fills the space of the regular kitchen, as well as the dining room. Viscount may conjure up plenty of his own recipes there, but the influences of Viscount’s past still remain. Lamb kidney stew on an English muffin and a slice of tomato — his grandmother’s breakfast specialty — is still the perfect way for Viscount to start each day.

 
 
 
 
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