PHILADELPHIA 3/12/2012 12:21:00 PM

Drexel students Andrew Bohinick and John Boswell will show off their culinary chops in an upcoming episode of FOX’s “Kitchen Nightmares.” The episode, in which Chef Gordon Ramsay transforms Zócalo Mexican restaurant, will air on March 30th at 8 p.m. EST.

Bohinick, a hospitality management major in the Goodwin College’s School of Technology and Professional Studies, and Boswell, a culinary arts major, were recruited by Ramsay to work with Zócalo owner Greg Russell and his family to revamp the restaurant’s menu, assist in the kitchen and create a more student-friendly environment to take advantage of Zócalo’s University City locale. Members of the community were invited to an opening event to re-launch the restaurant after its makeover.

Hospitality Management Program Director Dr. Radesh Palakurthi, Hospitality Management Program Manager Ruth Lee, and adjunct professors Keith Coe and Patrick O’Rourke were invited to the opening event for special recognition regarding their help with coordinating Drexel’s involvement. Jim Tucker, senior vice president for Drexel’s Student Life and Administrative Services, and his wife Lynn, were also in attendance.

“The whole experience was amazing,” said student Boswell. “Learning from Chef Ramsay is something I will never forget.  The culinary arts program at Drexel helped to prepare me for such a crazy environment. I was a bit nervous, but ultimately was able to put my education to work in the kitchen on some incredibly busy nights.”

During filming, Chef Ramsay also visited Honest Tom’s Taco Truck (33rd and Arch St.), run by Drexel alum Tom McCusker, a graduate of the Goodwin College’s hotel/restaurant management program. Tom drove Chef Ramsay to Zócalo in his truck and made tacos for the crew.

“When ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ contacted the Goodwin College asking for support from two of our hospitality students for one of their episodes, it was clear that they had done their homework,” said Coe. “Mr. Ramsay referred to the prestige of Goodwin's hospitality program and to the extraordinary quality of our students, all of which was proven by the culinary competence of our students Andrew and John. Goodwin gives students the tools that they need to excel, even in the pressure cooker of a ‘kitchen nightmare.’”
Chef Ramsay also visted Honest Tom's Taco Truck,
run by Drexel alum Tom McCusker

“Our involvement with this show is another example of the recognition we have been receiving lately as a marquee program that enhances students’ skills and knowledge and creates a variety of opportunities for them to showcase their talent,” said Palakurthi. “We are very proud of our students and their abilities.”

Now in its fourth season, “Kitchen Nightmares” follows world-renowned Chef Gordon Ramsay as he treks across the country to help fledgling restaurants turn their businesses around. Each week, Chef Ramsay visits a new establishment with a multitude of problems. He delves into the inner workings of each eatery and explores everything from unsanitary refrigerators to lazy and inexperienced staff to diagnose the real problems. Whether he changes the restaurant's operations, updates the menu or gives the establishment a complete makeover, Chef Ramsay does whatever it takes to turn these restaurants into popular and successful businesses.