Message from the President
Though the snow is still on the ground, it does seem like we in Vermont have arrived at the other side of winter. Birds can be heard singing in the trees, the sun is warming our offices during the day, and it is staying lighter out longer. And I don't always have to button up my coat as I make my way across to the Vermont College cafeteria for lunch.
NECI experiences many transitions in the month of February. Last night was the Baking & Pastry High Tea and next week is the BA and HRM programs Appreciation night. The students have worked hard and are ready to take their learning on the road. Though we are always sad to see a group of students leave, we know that they are ready for the adventures they face.
But it never remains quiet for long and the March class will be arriving on March 2nd. NECI has envisioned a new registration and orientation process to welcome the new students. Students will be engaged immediately by the whole school. I look forward to the fun and excitement of those first few days as the students and their parents swarm through Harris Hall (our administrative center that is part of the Vermont College campus) to register, receive the brigade and knife kits, check into dorms and begin to meet their instructors.
We have started to think about the students differently. As soon as students arrive on campus, they begin to learn what it means to be alumni of NECI. We share that message on their first day, on their last day and many times in between. Students start to receive the alumni newsletter and interact with alumni through internship sites. They may receive a welcome phone call from an alumnus during their internship. They hear Chef Michel talk about the alumni and the opportunities they will have when they graduate.
Our new efforts with alumni, of course, do not end with resident students. You all are in our plans as well. Most of you are aware of the Alumni Ambassador program. Now, the first Alumni Forum and Reception is being planned around the upcoming Boston food show. And it great to see how you all are responding. Daily we here from alumni who want to learn more.
It's exciting to see the full circle - students arrive one day and before we know it they are out in the world, putting their training to good use, still turning to NECI for assistance when needed and asking how they can give back. It's a special world with special rewards - a club you will always belong to.
All the best,
Fran
Letter from your Alumni Association President
Dear Alumni,
As 2009 begins to take shape, I am excited at the opportunities that your Alumni Association Board of Directors have put into motion for the upcoming year. As a group, we are working to help fellow alumni network, engage and connect throughout the country.
I am excited to announce our Alumni Forum that will be taking place next month in Boston. This gathering came from the simple idea of getting alumni together in one place to network. Karen Nevin has been working hard to put together a great agenda and I hope that if you are in the Boston area for the food show on March 23 that you can attend this event.
Last month, we kicked off our first round of Ambassador Program calls. Several alumni made calls to first and second year externs to get connected and find out how they were doing in their jobs. But more importantly, these phonecalls were the first of many. And ones that we as an association plan to continue into the future so that we can assist in developing a network of alumni across the country.
Much of what we do is from the gracious support of volunteers wanting to make a difference and help the school. For that I am grateful for everyone involved for their support.
But we still need more help because we cannot do it alone. There are great needs for more Ambassadors to assist with making calls to externs. Just an hour or two a month is all it takes to make a few calls to a student on externship. Who knows, you may end up finding an employee, business partner or extern. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact me at orrick-at-dickwray.com or Karen Nevin, Alumni Director, karen.nevin-at-neci.edu.
This summer, the Alumni Association will meet for strategic planning and to help shape future programming. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to contact me directly with any thoughts.
Warm regards,
Orrick Nepomuceno, CPC
Essex 1996
When Lenny Rice (1998 Essex Culinary) was 10 years old her mom made her a t-shirt that read "It's Just Lenny." Everyone hoped that would answer the question that even I asked - is Lenny short for anything? The answer is no, Lenny is just Lenny. But in no way does that describe her. She has never been "just" anything!
Lenny grew up in southeastern Oklahoma in a large family with a mother who was working full time and going to school. Everyone in the family was expected to pitch in. Lenny and her siblings had a chore list: Monday was the night that Lenny had to cook dinner, while other days she was responsible for vacuuming, laundry and other family chores. It was the same for her siblings. But Lenny's brothers and sisters didn't want to cook dinner, so she made them a deal - she'd do the cooking if she could get out of the other chores. Her life as a cook had started.
The Rice family is also a Sooner family - they live and breathe University of Oklahoma. When it was time for college Lenny left for Oklahoma just like her parents before her.
But it didn't feel right. Though she was going to classes she preferred her time working at a local coffee shop in town. It wasn't long before she was managing the shop and cutting back on her classes. When the owners decided to sell the place, Lenny, at the age of 20, bought it. And soon found out she was in over her head.
But working at the coffee shop also got her thinking. What did she really want to do? What did she LOVE to do? And she knew - she wanted to be a chef. Soon she was working towards her goal saving money for culinary school. Unbelievably the Oklahoma bombing gave her the impetus to move on. Her coffee shop was four blocks away from the bombsite, and though it did not sustain any damages, it provided the perfect excuse to sell the shop and leave.
All of her research on culinary schools came from a little red book she found in the local library. It listed the top 5 schools in the country, including NECI. Vermont caught her eye and soon she was speaking with alumni, reading up on the school and realizing that with her total lack of food background, the low student-faculty ratio meant it was the perfect place for her.
A little red strawberry taught Lenny a good lesson early on at NECI. She was in a product identification class being taught by Molly Stevens and was given a strawberry to taste. The question was asked "Is this a good strawberry?" Lenny, having never had a fresh strawberry, exclaimed that it was the best strawberry she had ever tasted! Of course, she quickly learned that it was out of season, over grown, and had almost no taste. Lenny's eyes were opened to what fresh food is all about. She started to seek out new taste experiences and to understand what it really meant for something to be "fresh."
Lenny's first internship was at the Four Seasons in Florida. Here was a new learning experience - and it was hard. Lenny was the only woman of ten interns. She started to question herself: Am I over my head? Is this what I really want? Should I just quit? Fortunately, Lenny found herself some support in the only other female in the kitchen, the sous chef. Her new friend helped Lenny keep her perspective and taught her that she did not have to work in a hotel kitchen to be a chef. It was here that Lenny started to see her future and it did not have her cooking in a restaurant kitchen!
Lenny's second year at NECI was incredibly successful. She spent time giving tours, working side gigs and having lots of fun. She also discovered wine. Lenny couldn't learn enough about wine and decided she had to do her second internship out in Napa Valley. She heard that two friends from NECI, Chris Moonsammy (1998 Essex Culinary) and William Closs (1998 Essex Culinary), were heading to Napa and asked if she could come along. She knew there was no way she could afford an internship out there unless she could share living expenses. Lenny found herself an internship at Brix, shared a trashy apartment with her friends and quickly realized she needed a second job to make ends meet. Never being one to worry about hurdles she got herself a job at the Mondavi Vineyards.
At this point life for Lenny started to move quickly. She became a Wine Educator at Robert Mondavi Winery working directly with Robert Mondavi. She reduced her responsibilities at Brix to being a banquet chef. She was working seven days a week, and every night hanging out with all the other chefs in town at Pancha's Bar.
When Mondavi Winery decided to remodel their visitor center, Lenny proposed a wine and cheese program and created a new job for herself - Visitor Center Chef for Mondavi Vineyards. She had the best of all worlds - cooking for special events, conducting wine classes, and discovering the world of cheese. Cheese for Lenny, was the new wine! And Lenny got to know the two ladies at the Cowgirl Creamery, which would lead to a friendship that would last a life time.
Lenny still didn't stay put. She left the vineyard and paired up with Brigid Callinan (1994 Essex Culinary) to open Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts, offering extensive culinary programs to tourists. She was working in the kitchen with the top chefs of the day (Jacques Pepin, Julia Child) and cookbook authors such as Molly Stevens. Brigid and Lenny complemented each other and another friendship was born.
After a two year stint at Copia, Lenny called her friends at Cowgirl Creamery. The next thing she knew she was their wholesale manager and head cheesemonger. Lenny helped the company grow their business by 500% in 5 years by working with the contacts in the food industry that she had developed. She became a logistics expert, moving cheese across the country.
Lenny kept adding projects. She wrote a book with Brigid Callinan called "Fondue." She helped her mother and friends choose great food items to give as gifts. Lenny kept thinking there was some way to pull together all of her passions into one creative job. She knew she had something to offer and decided that the internet was the best way to share her knowledge.
Lenny, friend Brigid and her husband, Chris decided to spearhead a new web directory called Good Food Source (www.goodfoodsource.com). The website would be the ultimate food source for foodies, a place where people could find unique products and excellent service from small (and large) companies across the country. Lenny was able to capitalize on all of the friendships she had made over the years and her friends helped her to make even more connections. Lenny's goal is for good food to survive and to support family farms and family businesses.
Good Food Source has a lot going on. There are recipes (Dixie's Pantry, named after her mom!), an article on what's in season, featured products and of course lists and lists of wonderful resources for the very best in food products. Want to find the best buffalo mozzarella? Go to Goodfoodsource.com. Need an idea for a gift for a foodie in your life? Check out Goodfoodsource.com. Lenny has dreams about where her website directory will go. She envisions a test kitchen, writers, a documentary and a communal table where everyone eats together. Knowing Lenny, she'll get there.
Lenny believes that you must put yourself out there in order for opportunities to come to you. Embrace the possibilities! Let it happen! Keep going forward! These are the words that she lives by. She has been successful because she loves what she is doing and is willing to see that the road is not straight and narrow, but instead is full of lots of bumps and curves. Lenny knows that good food connects everyone no matter their place in life. And she relishes sharing all that she has learned. Lenny is so much more than "just" Lenny.
NECI Alumni Forum and Reception in Boston, March 23, 2009
You are your guest are invited to the NECI Alumni Association Alumni Forum and Reception!
March 23, 2009
3:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Faculty Dining Room, McElroy Commons
Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA
"Vow to Wow: Excellence in Customer Service"
- Larry Carbonetti, national recognized speaker
- Interactive and high energy program on superior customer service
- No matter where you are or what you are doing - come away with practical tips to put into practice immediately!
Reception with Chef Michel LeBorgne
- Cash Bar
- Hors d'oeuvres compliments of Michael Kann (1990 Montpelier) and Boston College Dining Services
- Dessert compliments of Michael Rhoads (1997 Montpelier) and B+R Artisan Breads
Please RSVP to: rsvpalumni-at-neci.edu
Include your name, guest name, hometown and email address.
For directions to Boston College click HERE.
For directions to McElroy Commons click HERE.
Make sure you download both maps!
If you have any questions, contact me at karen.nevin-at-neci.edu.
Come see us at the Boston Food Show!
I will be at the NECI Booth (#122) at the New England Foodservice & Lodging Exposition at the Boston Convention Center from March 22-24. I have plenty of VIP Passes that I'd love to send to any alumnus who wants one. If you are interested, let me know.
I look forward to meeting many of you and talking about what you are up to and hearing your ideas for alumni activities.
See you at the show!
- Karen
NECI Alumni in Action for NECI!
NECI Alumni are making things happen for NECI. On January 26th, eleven alumni representing eight properties came to the Inn at Essex to search for and interview current students for upcoming internships. Among the alumni who came were:
Patrick Ford Sous Chef for Aramark at Fenway Park
David Merrill Executive Chef at Basin Harbor Club, Vermont
Jonathan Cambra Executive Chef at Castle Hill Inn & Resort in Newport, Rhode Island
Angela and Seth Raynor Chef/Owners of the Boarding House and The Pearl in Nantucket
Erin Zircher and Liam Mackey also at the Boarding House
John Shaw Executive Chef at the Kennebunkport Inn
Justin Walker Executive Chef at Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit, Maine
Matthew McClure Sous Chef at the Capital Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas
Andrew LaHaye Executive Chef at the Sterling National Country Club in Massachusetts
What else are our alumni doing? They are making phonecalls to recent interns as Alumni Ambassadors. The purpose of this program, started by the NECI Alumni Association, is to reach out to new interns, welcome them to the area, answer questions and encourage the student so they return to finish their program. There are currently 18 alumni making phonecalls. Our goal is to have alumni from every state participating in these calls, which happen four times a year.
Alumni Ambassadors who have recently reached out to NECI interns are:
Chris Edelman in Boston
Paul Lynch in Minneapolis
Orrick Nepomuceno in Raleigh
Korey Konopasek in Jacksonville, FL
Amanda Robledo in Los Angeles
If you are interested in being involved, let me know! karen.nevin-at-neci.edu
Alumni Reunion - Save The Date!
NECI Alumni Reunion - August 23-25, 2009
Montpelier and Inn at Essex, Vermont
Enjoy three days of activities including:
- Reception with President and NECI Instructors
- Panel of Current Students
- Annual Meeting of NECI Alumni Association
- Campus Updates
- Essex and Montpelier Tours
- Opportunities to Network
Family activities include swimming, hiking, biking, ropes course, golf, spa and the Champlain Valley Fair.
Want to get involved? There are many ways to volunteer as a member of the Reunion Committee:
- help plan events
- help find lost classmates
- contribute to the newsletter and other alumni communications
- share photos
- host a mini-reunion of your block or class
Experience what you loved about NECI - come back to visit Vermont!
Interested? Contact me at karen.nevin-at-neci.edu
The Newest in Kitchen Gadgetry
Do you know what new-fangled kitchen tool NECI students are bringing with them when they arrive at school?
Executive Chef, Tom Bivins, was quoted in the New York Times article "Top Kitchen Toy? The Cellphone" on January 21st. Chef Tom told the NY Times that tech-loving culinary students quickly learn to use their phones to document their dishes for class portfolios or Facebook pages, to set reminders for the ingredients they have to prep for the next day's classes, and to develop restaurant-business skills like purchasing, inventory and budgets, via mobile links to the school's online resource material.
If you'd like to read the whole article, click HERE
Chef Michel visits Vermont
Chef Michel LeBorgne, founding chef of New England Culinary Institute, is making a point of keeping in touch with the students and faculty in Vermont.
In January, Chef Michel traveled to Montpelier to spend a week interacting with students and faculty. As always, Chef Michel's goal is to impart the importance of culinary standards and to encourage the students to keep learning the NECI way.
Fourteen students were able to sit down and have lunch with Chef Michel while he was here. During their lunch, the students heard stories about life as a chef and were able to ask Chef Michel any question they had.
The BA and HRM students had the opportunity to hear Chef Michel describe life after NECI. Chef Michel told the students about NECI's alumni and how they reached their dreams.
And of course, what would a visit from Chef Michel be without his famous chicken and potato leek soup demos?! He had 80 students on the edge of their seats as he chopped, stirred and told more stories. And the tasting was superb!
Chef Michel will be visiting NECI once a quarter to instruct and work with the students and faculty. We look forward to his next visit in March!
by Mark Molinaro
NECI recently participated in our region's ACF conference that was held at the Westin Waterfront Hotel in Boston. We are now an approved site to hold practical and written certification exams for ACF certification and have two A.C.E. (Approved Chef Evaluators) on staff. The exams will be offered four times a year.
Please contact Mark Molinaro for more information mark.molinaro-at-neci.edu
NECI's hot-foods team, led by Michael Gunyan (2001 Essex Culinary), represented our school well and was proud to receive a bronze medal for their performance. Pictures and video will be posted on our website soon. At one point the team had six Certified Master Chefs giving them constructive critique of their food. They were singled out as having the best team work and communication.
I also ran into a NECI alumnus, Joe Gudonis (1997 Essex Culinary, 2001 BA) who attended the conference to network and work on his certification. He is currently the Banquet Chef at The Buck Hotel near Philadelphia. He's looking forward to getting involved in more alumni activities.
If you are interested in learning more about the ACF please feel free to e-mail me or visit their website: www.acfchefs.org
NECI will be heading to Wegman's in Rochester, New York to help judge the NY ProStart competition from March 13-15.
Other upcoming competitions include:
CT SkillsUSA- March 27
Jr. Iron Chef- March 28
VT SkillsUSA- April 4
La Chaine Rotisseurs, Jeunes Commis competition April 18
ProStart Nationals in San Diego- April 24-27
MA SkillsUSA- May 1
SkillsUSA Nationals in Kansas City- June 22-26
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There is a lot going on for so many of you, thanks for sending me your updates! To keep me posted, send me an email at karen.nevin-at-neci.edu and tell me what's going on. I love to hear from you and promise your news will be included in the next newsletter! Don't forget to send photos!
2008
George Bartel (Montpelier Culinary) sent us a note to say he is out there pounding the pavement looking for a good job. He reports that his spirits are up as he uses the "saturation" approach of sending resumes to everyone he can think of! He liked his internship at The Clifton Inn this summer, but when the slow season came things changed. The combination of being a small business, fine-dining and economic conditions hit hard and the Inn was forced to cut hours and finally let the newest members of the staff go.
George is ready to bring what he learned at NECI and his two excellent internships to a new venue. His words are worth considering: "The important thing is to remember why we decided to do this, and be proactive. My destiny is in my own hands, and every day I sit down at the computer and search for my next step puts me closer to a new kitchen, new ingredients, ideas and philosophies. There is always an element of excitement in adversity, and the best way that I've found to deal with it is to embrace the challenge, and look for the best of the opportunities offered, however limited they may be. You never know when serendipity is going to drop you into a great and life-changing situation, so I hope for the best." With that attitude, we here at NECI know that George will find his way and be a success!
Peter Carroll (Montpelier Baking & Pastry) is still down in Naples, Florida working nights at the Ritz.
Eric Swikard (BA HRM) sent Dellie Rex a quick note via iSanteTalk (where Dellie has her blog). He's out in San Diego and misses all the Uncorked sessions in Careme and beautiful Vermont!
2007
Matthew Crone (Essex Culinary) is the Executive Chef at Sole Restaurant and Raw Bar located at the Westin Hotel in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. They've been open for two months and have received great local press. Matthew's been busy as he has opened three restaurants over the past four years and has received an invitation to cook at the James Beard House this summer. Matthew's been checking out the alumni website and the many ways he can get involved as a NECI alumnus.
2006
Karen (Chia-Yin Ho) Kirkup (Montpelier Culinary) dropped us a note to say she and her family are moving to Maryland in mid-March. She sent us a picture of her baby to share with everyone. She loves being a stay at home mom!
2005
Austin Banach (Essex Culinary) is currently managing Rubiner's Cheesemongers and Grocers and the adjoining café, Rubi’s in Great Barrington, MA. He sent this note: "It's a nice break from the kitchen. I do miss the kitchen work however. Besides working retail, I have also created a pre-order fishmonger program that is unique to our area, since the grocery store quality of seafood is lacking. I work with Browne Trading out of Portland Maine and receive fresh fish once a week. I also manage our café menu and host such events as cheese, wine, oyster, and other tastings. The business and owners are very young so there are a lot of ideas being put into place.
This job has grown on me and I feel this may be my direction in the long run. Working closely to the clients and public has become very enjoyable for me." Sounds like you've found your niche Austin!
Adam Cooke (Essex Culinary) is the Chef de Cuisine at the Inn at Blackberry Farm in Tennessee. He has been getting some press recently as the Festival Chef of the Naples Winter Wine Festival in Naples, Florida. You can read about his participation in the festival HERE.
2004
Dana Hammatt (Montpelier Culinary, 2008 BA HRM) finished her internship in Florida and is now in Cape Cod waiting for some surgery for her knee. In the meantime, she's working on some recipes and wondering what's next!
Matthew Kennedy (Montpelier Culinary) was recently profiled online because of his involvement with the Toronto Green Community. Matthew is working towards a more balanced model of urban/rural and chef/farmer relations. In addition, Matthew is developing a series of food education workshops with the Toronto Green Community. You can read the profile HERE.
Jerry Stieferman (Essex Culinary) dropped us a note to say Hi! He's ready to travel again and to learn new things. Jerry let us know about your ramblings!
Ty Thames (Essex Culinary) and his restaurant, Restaurant Tyler, were profiled in a recent issue of Southern Living. Ty's restaurant is located in Starkville, Mississippi. You can read the profile HERE.
2003
Jonathan Donoghue (Essex Culinary) works at the Blue Ginger in Massachusetts. He's hoping to catch up with folks at the Alumni Forum in March!
Dan Furey (Montpelier Culinary) let us know that life's good and he is working in Las Vegas as a sous chef at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant.
David Wilson (Essex Culinary) dropped us a note to tell us that he is now living just outside of Phoenix, Arizona in an area called Chandler. After finishing up the AOS at NECI, he pursued his Masters Degree in Elementary Education. Now he is a first grade teacher at a public school in Mesa, AZ. Although, he is not using his degree in any way, shape, or form other than personal interest, he remembers his days at NECI fondly and truly values the training that he received.
2002
Maren Henderson (Essex Culinary) is the Pastry Chef at Charlie Palmer Restaurant at Bloomingdale's in Costa Mesa, California. Maren and her recipe for Brown Sugar Cake were recently profiled in the local paper. You can read all about it HERE.
Mariana Velasquez (Montpelier Culinary, 2004 BA HRM) dropped us a note. After working at Eating Well magazine, she moved back to New York in 2004 and did research and recipe testing at Saveur Magazine. In 2005 she decided to go freelance in order to assist food stylists and learn their art. She was lucky to have as a mentor the food stylist Jee Levin. Mariana has worked photo shoots for magazines such as Food and Wine, Martha Stewart Every Day Food, Bon Appetit, Rachel Ray, Real Simple and O at Home; as well as publishers such as Collins Publishing Group (a division of Harper Collins), Wiley, Gamma and MNR productions. Mariana's website is: www.marianavelasquez.com
2001
Frank Janitz (Montpelier Culinary) dropped us a note to say he's been thinking about his very talented classmates and wondering what they are all up to. He is the Executive Chef for the Growth Restaurant Group in New Jersey. Frank kept in touch by accessing the alumni database through the alumni website!
Treacy Kreger (Montpelier Culinary, 2004 BA HRM) reported that he spends his time being passionate with food! Since leaving the BA program he opened Vern's Restaurant (www.vernsrestaurant.com) named after his dad. It has been growing steady, until the slow down this past September. He has been having fun doing wine dinners with local wineries, of which there are a great many in the Northwest.
Treacy recently appeared on Seattle Public Television as part of their Chefs 2009 cookbook project. Chef Treacy shared his award winning "Creamy Red Pepper Seafood Chowder" that won First Place at the Port of Shelton's AutumnFest Chowder Challenge and took the Silver Medal for soups at the 2008 Oysterfest Seafood Cookoff. Treacy was nominated by a regular customer of his restaurant to be on the show.
Keisha Sellers (Essex Culinary) is the Sous Chef at Blair House in Washington D.C. Read about her participation in the inaugural day festivities with Kevin Wirt below.
Kevin Wirt (Essex Culinary) is the Sous Chef at the British Embassy in Washington D.C. He and another NECI graduate, Kiesha Sellers (sous chef at Blair House) were heavily involved in preparing food for the inaugural festivities. Kevin sent this email:
"It was a CRAZY week here in D.C! I have never seen so many people! Great event, but I am glad they are all gone! Kiesha and I were both at Blair House on inauguration day. We were able to meet and take a picture with the Obamas before he went off to be sworn in. Then we had a party for 500 people before the parade. It was 4 buffets with Kiesha and I as the only food runners....we were running! Afterwards, we had front row spots for the parade outside Blair House. So, it was really neat to be a part of such a great event. Of course we had lots of events here at the (British) embassy leading up to it as well. Finally things are back to normal and we can breathe again!"
1999
Frank Giglio (Montpelier Culinary) was profiled online recently. Frank is at the forefront of the Raw Food Movement. You can read the profile HERE and at his website www.rawfoodfrank.wordpress.com
Liam LaCivita (Montpelier Culinary) is the Executive Chef at Liberty Tavern. His restaurant was picked as one of the top 100 "Very Best Restaurants" in the DC, Maryland and Virginia area by the Washingtonian Magazine. Chef Liam uses Cabot Cheese, keeping the Vermont connection strong!
Adam Mosher (Montpelier Culinary) sent Chef Michel LeBorgne an update. Adam reports that he started a small personal chef business out in Aspen at the beginning of 2005 which quickly took off. In 2006 he booked a party for a family in Snowmass, CO (just outside of Aspen). The family enjoyed him so much that they made him an offer to move to Memphis, TN to work as their full time private chef. He and his wife, Cassie, accepted the offer and moved to Tennessee in September 2007. In May 2008 his employer asked if they would join them for ten months in London, England while their three children went to school there. Again they accepted their gracious offer and have been in London since August 2008.
1998
Josh Barnes (Montpelier Culinary, 2002 BA HRM) sent us an update. He's working as an an Account Executive for Vision Technology Services in Baltimore, Maryland. He has been with the organization for 2½ years now, and started as a recruiter. Vision Technology Services provides the best Information Technology consultants to such companies as T. Rowe Price, AOL/Time-Warner and Becton Dickinson.
His last job in food service was at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, where he served as the General Manager for a $4 million-revenue-generating dining contract servicing up to 3,500 transactions per day. During those three years, he also executed over 50 catering events for Linwoods Restaurant- a strong area favorite. He also catered a successful event for a client-manager from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in her home kitchen for 50 attendees. NECI's crème brulee and miso-caramelized seared scallops were two of the items served. The event is still talked about to-date, and he is considering offering his services to more lucky clients soon!
1998
Kirsten Hindes (Montpelier Culinary) sent us a wonderful update on her activities since graduating 12 years ago. She says "I cooked in Washington DC for several years, ending up as the sous chef at the Watergate Hotel restaurant Aquarelle. I burnt out on the 70+ hours per week after 2 years, and began working for Whole Foods Market. After a 2 year stint managing the Cheese/Wine/ Coffee department at one store, I was asked to apply for regional positions. I worked my way up to Director of Specialty Foods- and held that level of position in the Southeast Region before ending up in the Northeast Region (New York, New Jersey and Western Connecticut). My responsibilities included new store design, category management, program development, store level training, merchandising, purchasing....basically it was three full time jobs rolled into one. After 5 years, I needed to get a life!!!! I took a sabbatical and then resigned to work for one year in London managing retail operations at a small artisan coffee company. I was offered a job after that with a cheese importing company. Best Cheese Corporation is located in New York, but I direct sales for the Western Region, and live in San Francisco. I love my job and am glad to be back in the cheese business." Thanks for the update Kirsten!
1998 Chris Moonsammy (Essex Culinary) is the Executive Sous Chef at the Sheraton in Petaluma.
1997
Ben Coyne (Essex Culinary) is the Executive Chef at Whitby Castle at Rye Golf Club in Rye, New York.
Thomas Halligan (Essex Culinary) is the Chef de Cuisine at Bistro des Copains in Occidental, California. Lenny Rice bumped into him near where she lives!
Katey (Reif) Jones (Montpelier Culinary, 1994 BA HRM) sent us a report on what's up. Since NECI she worked at Foxwoods Resort Casino for 6 years. In 2002 she moved to New Hampshire with her fiancé. They have since married and have two sons - Max (3) and Caleb (5). Her husband, Charles, is a Warrant Officer in the Army Reserves and employed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. For the most part, she is a stay at home mom who is simultaneously looking forward to and dreading her oldest son's start in kindergarten next year. She is content, but confesses she is tired of all the snow!
1995
Kristian Holbrook (Montpelier Culinary) is the Cheesemaker at the Inn at Blackberry Farm with Chef de Cuisine Adam Cooke (2005 Essex Culinary).
Allan Levine (Montpelier Culinary) was profiled recently in Forbes Magazine online. The Forbes piece identified people who had left the corporate rat race to follow their dreams. Allan spent 15 years working as a geophysicist before he came to NECI. Allan is now the Executive Chef of The Eagle Room at Stanford Financial Group in Houston, Texas. You can read the profile HERE.
James Plunkett (Montpelier Culinary) sent us a lengthy email. His career has taken him far and wide. In the last four years he was the chef of a year round fly fishing lodge in the Northern Rockies, at the gate to Yellowstone Park, in Montana. After two years there, he moved on to the Portland Hilton and Executive Tower, in Oregon.
Most recently, he returned to Chicago, to be close to family and to work for a good friend. He also spends his summers cooking at a summer resort in Maine.
1994
Brigid Callinan (Essex Culinary) is still teaching at the Coast Guard Culinary Center in California.
1993
Chris Smith (Montpelier Culinary) picked up the phone and called! He lives in Palmer, Massachusetts and is working for the Compass Group, a part of Morrison Health Care. He is the Executive Chef at Memorial Hospital in Worcester, Mass and has just been promoted to Regional Chef. Chris has three children with his wife Cheri (Daniel 20, Heather 14, Austin 10).
Timothy St. Peter (Montpelier Culinary, 2004 BA Culinary) sends a shout out to all his friends and family at NECI. Tim reports that professionally, he is currently working for Sodexo in the Education Division as Executive Chef for L'Anse Creuse Public Schools and the Area Executive Chef for the state of Michigan. He has been there for 3 years and it is rewarding on so many levels. He is also a professional Ice Sculptor. Personally, he has been married since 2002 to his beautiful, smart, compassionate wife, Sandra, and have an 18 month old son Tristan Cole who was born on July 3, 2007. They are currently pregnant with their second son to be born mid-July 2009. He promises to send us an update! They have two awesome Australian Shephard's, Roux and Jasmine who love children. Tim and Sandra say hello to their friends and NECI family in Vermont and all over the globe. Tim says, "We miss and think of you all often. Don't be strangers, drop us a line and keep in touch!"
Frank Vollkommer (Essex Culinary) was honored at the sixth annual Alumni Recognition Dinner for BOCES culinary graduates in Saratoga Springs, New York.
1990
Larry Jorgensen (Montpelier Culinary) is a stay at home dad in Petaluma, California. He was the Sous Chef at Brix when Lenny Rice was working there.
1987
Jamie Eisenberg (Montpelier Culinary) wrote us to say that she has been working at Healthy Living in Burlington, Vermont for the last four years and re-opened their new store. Before that she opened the City Market Deli at the Co-op in Burlington.
1985
Jared Steiner (Montpelier Culinary) let us know that he is in the U.K., living in Hastings on the south east coast for the past 12 years. He works at a private hospital as the Head Chef.
1984
Robert Bennett (Montpelier Culinary) dropped us a note. He is keeping busy at American Harvest Baking. He is also traveling quite a bit as an Ambassador for Barry-Callebaut Chocolate Company. He was recently in Puerto Rico for a demo and will be doing demos in Bermuda, London, Paris and Zurich this coming year. He will also be traveling to Ghana, Africa to experience picking his own cocoa pods! What an adventure!
Debbie Meritsky (Montpelier Culinary) let us know that she has set up a Facebook profile and wants to be in touch.
