New England Culinary Institute, Harris Hall

The New England Culinary Institute (NECI) was a private for-profit

culinary school A cooking school is an institution devoted to education in the art and science of cooking and food preparation. There are many different types of cooking schools around the world, some devoted to training professional chefs, others aimed at amate ...

Montpelier, Vermont Montpelier () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Washington County. The site of Vermont's state government, it is the least populous state capital in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population ...

. It was founded on June 15, 1980, by Fran Voigt and John Dranow. The first NECI class, conducted by Chef Michel LeBorgne, had seven students. The enrollment rose to approximately 800 in 1999, but fell to 500 in 2015 and to around 300 at the beginning of 2017. A second campus was operated in

Essex, Vermont Essex is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Vermont Route 289 crosses the town from east to west. The city of Essex Junction, population 10,590, was located within the town as an incorporated village until 2022. History The ...

, from August 1989 through August 2009. The institute ran a number of restaurants in Montpelier, and also provided food service for

Vermont College Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is a private graduate-level art school in Montpelier, Vermont. It offers Master's degrees in low-residency and residential programs. Its faculty includes Pulitzer Prize finalists, National Book Award winners, ...

and National Life. It is accredited by the

Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the United States that provides national accreditation to private post-secondary educational institutions. It is recognized by the ...

. By the 2010s, enrollment in culinary institutes in the United States was in decline, and culinary programs nationwide were closing. The institute discontinued all credit-bearing academic programs in the summer of 2021. The institution's official statement about the closing stated that "the pandemic proved to be the burden that we could not overcome. As directed by the State of Vermont we closed all our retail operations in March 2020, which severely limited our ability to continue to deliver a college level, hands on culinary education, on an economically viable basis."

Notable alumni

* Amanda Chantal Bacon - American entrepreneur, cookbook author, and wellness influencer *

Alton Brown Alton Crawford Brown Jr. (born July 30, 1962) is an American television personality, food show presenter, chef, author, voice actor, and cinematographer. He is the creator and host of the Food Network television show '' Good Eats'' that ran for ...

– Host of ''

Good Eats ''Good Eats'' is an American television cooking show, created and hosted by Alton Brown, which aired in North America on Food Network and later Cooking Channel. Likened to television science educators Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye, Brown explores th ...

'', ''

Feasting on Asphalt ''Feasting on Asphalt'' is a television series starring Alton Brown of the Food Network programs '' Good Eats'' and ''Iron Chef America''. Brown's third series, ''Feasting on Asphalt'' explores "road food" (eating establishments which cater to tr ...

'', and '' Iron Chef America'' *

Paul Hogan Paul Hogan (born 8 October 1939) is an Australian actor and comedian. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance as ...

– Former Australian Consul turned celebrity butler *

Gavin Kaysen Gavin Kaysen (born 1979 in Thousand Oaks, California) is executive chef and owner of Spoon and Stable, Bellecour Bakery, Demi, Socca, and Mara all in Minneapolis. He received the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest in 2018. Previous to his ...

–

Chef de cuisine A chef de cuisine (, French for ''head of kitchen'') or head chef is a chef that leads and manages the kitchen and chefs of a restaurant or hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities ...

of '' Cafe Boulud'' in New York City, one of Food & Wine's "Best New Chefs", and '' Next Iron Chef'' contestant

References

External links

* Cooking schools in the United States Buildings and structures in Montpelier, Vermont Essex, Vermont Private universities and colleges in Vermont Educational institutions established in 1980 Education in Washington County, Vermont 1980 establishments in Vermont {{Vermont-university-stub