HRTM school loses beloved chef instructor
Students and faculty of the hotel, restaurant and tourism management school mourn the loss of an accomplished and passionate chef, beloved instructor and die-hard Gamecock.
After 22 years of teaching, Julian “Jules” Pernell, former executive chef and culinary instructor at the McCutchen House, passed away Tuesday, approximately three months after informing his colleagues of his retirement due to terminal liver cancer.
Pernell, who graduated from USC in 1991 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies, had been teaching students the basics of quantity cooking since becoming a chef instructor at the HRTM school in 1989. His expertise was built up from years of experience as a local caterer, restaurant proprietor, president of the Midlands chapter of the American Culinary Association and special events chef for the Masters Golf Tournament and the British Open.
Pernell is remembered most by his students and colleagues for his caring personality, devotion to Gamecock sports, handlebar mustache and obsession with truffles and French cuisine. Those who knew him best agree that he was contagiously passionate about life.
In 2006, Pernell awarded with the Harry E. Varney Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award, the HRTM school’s highest annual recognition.
His death came as a surprise to third-year HRTM student Nikki Arnold, who spent several hours a week in the McCutchen House kitchen in Pernell’s quantity food production class (HRTM 270) this spring. She had been hoping to visit with the professor who inspired her passion for cooking upon returning from her summer internship at Caesar’s Entertainment in Las Vegas, an internship that Pernell had encouraged her to pursue.
“He always kept pushing me, reminding me that I could do it, but he would always make me laugh when I got stressed out,” Arnold said. “We all just loved how ridiculous he was.”
Fourth-year HRTM student Adam Yates, a backup kicker for the football team, said he will never forget the level of interest Pernell took in his student’s lives.
“He’d ask about every single ball I had kicked at practice. He would run around the classroom yelling about this amazing kick from the 53rd-yard line that I was never going to take,” Yates said. “I think he really believed I could do it, though.”
The HRTM school will host a memorial service for Pernell on the Horseshoe within the next week. Pernell will be buried Saturday in his hometown outside Raleigh, N.C., where he is survived by his aunt, uncle and cousin.