The New England Culinary Institute (NECI) is a career oriented, culinary college located in Montpelier, Vermont, founded on June 15, 1980, by Fran Voigt and John Dranow. The first NECI class, conducted by Chef Michel LeBorgne, had just seven students (now it has 500 students). A second campus was operated in Essex, Vermont, from August 1989 through August 2009. It is highly regarded as a leading culinary university in the United States.
New England Culinary Institute's curriculum is based on "learning by doing," immersing students in real kitchen situations and maintaining a small teacher/chef to student ratio in comparison to other American culinary schools. The Culinary Institute runs a number of restaurants in Montpelier, as well as providing food service for Vermont College and National Life.
In 2012, NECI hired native French Chef, Jean-Louis Gerin, to serve as the Institute's Vice President of Culinary Operations and Executive Chef.
Education
Education theory
Students at New England Culinary Institute are trained and educated in the school's restaurants while preparing food for paying customers. The school's 'learn by doing' method of teaching has yielded positive results; in addition to teaching the student, this method also gives them experience needed to be culinary leaders in the industry.
Further, this method of teaching demands that New England Culinary Institute's students be professional and punctual. This 'real world' training and education does not allow the student to willfully skip classes as other colleges may. Students are urged to be passionate about their field of study.
Small classes
The student to teacher ratio at New England Culinary Institute is 10:1. This allows each student to receive individual attention from the Chef instructor and allows the student freedom to ask questions and receive direct feedback. Small class sizes are crucial to the school's educational theory. Not only does a small class insure each student close attention, but it also teaches the student to work within a team, which is an important skill when working in a production kitchen.
Educational programs
- Certification Programs
- Certificate in Professional Cooking
- Certificate in Professional Baking and Pastry
- Associate Degree Programs
- AOS in Baking and Pastry Arts
- AOS in Culinary Arts
- AOS in Food and Beverage Business Management
- Bachelor Degree Programs
- BA in Culinary Arts
- BA in Food and Beverage Business Management
- BA in Baking and Pastry Arts
Campus
New England Culinary Institute's campus is integrated into the town of Montpelier. It consists of multiple administrative buildings, a student cafeteria, classrooms, residence halls, and teaching restaurants including NECI on Main and La Brioche bakery.
Admissions
New England Culinary Institute has no set admissions criteria, and each application is viewed individually. The prospective student's application is reviewed by the director of admissions, an admissions committee, and a Chef instructor. Each applicant is required to submit a letter of intent, a letter of recommendation, high school and college transcripts alongside the application. A positive academic history is preferred. New England Culinary Institute is a more selective culinary college than others and on average accepts about 54% of its yearly applicants.
Notable alumni
- Alton Brown â€" Host of Good Eats, Feasting on Asphalt, and Iron Chef America
- Paul Hogan â€" Former Australian Consul turned celebrity butler
- Gavin Kaysen â€" Chef de cuisine of Cafe Boulud in New York City, one of ten "Best New Chefs - 2007", and Next Iron Chef contestant
References
External links
- New England Culinary Institute
- Alton Brown's website
- La Brioche
- NECI on Main
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