Raleigh, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/06/2011 -- Dean Ogan, owner of Rocky Top Hospitality (http://www.rockytophospitality.com), has been named to the 2011 advisory board of the North Carolina division of The Chef’s Academy, the Culinary Division of Harrison College, a 108-year-old, nationally accredited institution that offers more than 30 degree programs in five schools of study. Providing support and guidance on the culinary institution’s newest campus, located in Morrisville, N.C., advisory board members will be responsible for evaluating the educational curriculum, providing feedback regarding teaching techniques, prospective on current industry trends and identifying potential opportunities for students to fulfill internships in the culinary and hospitality fields.

QUOTES:
“I am honored to have been named to the 2011 advisory board of The Chef’s Academy,” said Ogan. “I look forward to joining forces with local industry leaders and working alongside the culinary institution’s faculty members and educators as they train the culinary innovators of tomorrow.”

DETAILS:
- Rocky Top Hospitality encompasses six restaurants, a brewery, and a full service catering and event planning service. Ogan developed the unique concept for each restaurant from the ground up, and the soups, sauces, dressings and desserts are all made in-house from fresh ingredients. Whenever possible, he obtains and uses locally grown products in his restaurants.

- In 2008 Ogan received the Triangle Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Leadership Award and Business Leader magazine’s Mover and Shaker Award.

Ogan was honored earlier this year by the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA) as the 2011 Restaurateur of the Year.

About Rocky Top Hospitality
Rocky Top Hospitality restaurants have consistently rated among the Triangle’s most popular local dining choices since its first restaurant opened in 1998. Five different restaurant concepts operate under the Rocky Top Hospitality name: The Twisted Fork Grill, Market & Bar, The Red Room Tapas Lounge, Draft Carolina Burgers & Beers, The Mash House Brewery & Chophouse, Tribeca Tavern with two locations in Cary and Raleigh, and Rocky Top Catering & Events, a thriving events facility and catering business. All Rocky Top restaurant menus provide items not found anywhere else, and focus on using local North Carolina beef, seafood, poultry, pork, dairy and organic produce. Pastas and desserts are made daily, in house by the chefs and never come out of a box. Rocky Top beef and pork have had no growth hormones, additives, antibiotics or chemical feed. Owner Dean Ogan is known for actively giving back to the community and was named the 2011 Restaurateur of the Year by the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA). For more information, visit http://www.rockytophospitality.com.

About The Chef’s Academy
The Chef’s Academy is the Culinary Division of Harrison College, a 108-year-old, nationally accredited institution that offers more than 30 degree programs in five schools of study. More than 6,000 students altogether are enrolled at Harrison College’s 13 campuses, its online division and The Chef’s Academy. Located in Indianapolis, The Chef’s Academy opened a second academy on a 4.37-acre campus in North Carolina’s Triangle in August 2011. At The Chef’s Academy, students become prepared and marketable graduates entering the fields of culinary arts, pastry arts, and hospitality and restaurant management through classroom and experiential instruction that sets up expectations for the real-life industry. The college’s culinary division provides an environment that fosters students’ passion for culinary arts and hospitality and a curriculum developed by the most qualified instructors and leaders in the market. The Chef’s Academy is endorsed and accredited by the American Culinary Federation (ACF). For more information about The Chef’s Academy, visit http://www.thechefsacademy.com.