Campbell once catered Grammys

Jenna Lefever
Staff Writer

What's cooking at the Jay's Nest this semester? Well, it's more like "who" is cooking at the Jay's Nest?
The answer to this question is Thad Campbell. For the past three weeks, Campbell has been busy as the new lead culinary person in the Jay's Nest.
Campbell, 27, has brought immense talent and a vast array of credentials in the culinary arts field to the College.
Originally from Lebanon, Pa., he graduated from Cedar Crest High School. Campbell went to Lebanon Vo-Tech and then Penn College.
Campbell's food service and culinary arts experience is impressive.
"I've done numerous cuisines. Last was haute - a French style that is highly praised because it is absolute perfectionism," Campbell said.
To genuinely learn the art of haute cuisine, Campbell studied under three French master chefs, including several celebrity chefs.
Among other intriguing places, Campbell has worked at the Hotel Hershey, the number one hotel in the Caribbean and the number one spa on the northeast coast.
He has also spent time working in Wyoming, New York and California. The places that Campbell has worked at have been featured in a variety of magazines, including Bon Apetit, Spa Finder, Spa Trends, US Weekly, Gourmet and Wine Spectator.
"What people would be most surprised to learn about me is that I helped cater the Grammys," Campbell said. "I was able to meet everyone there. I have also cooked for numerous movie stars, queens, kings and even the prince of Saudi Arabia; all before I was 25."
The Jay's Nest at Elizabethtown College may be a complete change of pace and atmosphere, but Campbell explained that the best part about working the Jay's Nest is having more free time.
"I used to work 80 to 110 hours a week. Now I have a life and an opportunity to go back to school and finish my business degree," he said.
This allows time for Campbell's other hobbies, including music, mountain climbing and downhill mountain biking.
Campbell arrived at his current position in the Jay's Nest through people he met. "I knew Kevin Brown, the chef, and I moved back to the area. He offered me a job."
Campbell previously worked at Mirbeau Spa in Skineatalis, N.Y., near Syracuse, before making the move to Lancaster County.
Campbell's personal favorite food is French cuisine and his favorite restaurant in the area is Brian Kent's, known for its innovative cuisine, which is located in Hershey.
As for the future, "I would like to eventually open my own restaurant, possibly in the Hershey area," Campbell said.
With such extensive culinary experience already under his chef's hat, it seems very likely that Campbell can achieve his goal and that one day Campbell might have his own restaurant in the area.

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