Fran Voigt

In changes designed to meet the needs of current and future students, and anticipate the demands of a rapidly evolving food industry, the New England Culinary Institute is planning to enhance its core structure and significantly broaden its educational offerings.

A preview of proposed changes was presented in December to the NECI Board of Directors and received their enthusiastic endorsement. The new vision calls for an evolution from the current institute model where NECI traditionally focused on training and preparing cooks and chefs for the high-end restaurant business, to a more diverse and inclusive college model that responds to the needs of students in a constantly changing and growing world-wide food industry.

At the December Board Meeting, we shared plans for developing and offering a broad range of associate and baccalaureate degrees at NECI, and making those degrees available to resident students as well as to those students who take courses online.

As you know, NECI enjoys an unrivaled reputation as one of the nation's finest cooking schools, and we take great pride in that distinction. But we know that the food industry is undergoing major changes, and we plan to offer our students knowledge and training in an extensive number of areas that have emerged as a result of those changes. We want to make certain that our graduates are fully prepared to pursue careers in the food industry of tomorrow. The plan is to increase the range of opportunities available for our graduates.

The changes being planned for the Institute represent less of a break from the past than a natural progression along a journey that has already begun. Until now, we have tended to think of NECI's involvement in the food industry in fairly precise terms. We prepared chefs, cooks and managers to pursue their craft and their passion in restaurants, and we took pride in the fact that NECI alumni were among the most celebrated in the culinary world.

We have no intention of abandoning that culinary foundation. But we are now involved in a process of looking well beyond that specialization. The New England Culinary Institute which was described to the directors will significantly broaden not only what students learn, but the ways in which that learning can be delivered.

Our goal is to become as well known and highly respected as a culinary college as we have been known and respected as an institute. We believe this is a natural evolution for NECI. We know it's the right way to go, and we're very excited about future prospects.

All the best,

Fran

	Orrick Nepomuceno

Dear NECI Alumni,

On Tuesday, we witnessed a historic event take place in Washington, DC. No matter your politics or how you voted last November, each of us would have to agree that it was a moment in time that that we will all remember for years to come. As Barack Obama was being sworn in as our first African-American president, I could not help think of the awesome sight of millions on the National Mall congregating to be a part of history in the making.

If you voted last November, you too were also part of history – no matter who you voted for. Your voice was heard.

Now as we look to the daunting task ahead of this administration to solve the economic crisis domestically and navigate the perilous path of war abroad, I stepped back to think of where we as NECI alumni have all come over the past year. With a great deal of business already in the works, we have a promising year laid out ahead for the alumni community in 2009.

I am excited to announce that we are working on an alumni gathering to take place during the Boston Food Show this Spring. Our vision to create a summit of alumni to gather in the Boston area for a half day of networking, professional development and a venue where we can strengthen our bonds amongst each other. Please stay tuned for more information or feel free to contact Karen Nevin if you would like to get involved.

Last month, I announced that we are looking for talented graphic artists to help in creating the new Alumni logo. We received some entries, but we would like to see more. If you have expertise in this area, please send your creations to me at orrick-at-dickwray.com for consideration. Eventually, we will display the top logos to all of you to vote on what you want to be our logo for the association.

Lastly, in the spirit of service and what President Obama expressed just before he took office, I am asking anyone wanting to make a difference to respond to me directly to volunteer and get involved in the NECI Alumni Association. I can be reached at 919-845-0805 or orrick-at-dickwray.com.

I look forward making 2009 a great year despite what the pundits may say.

Warm Regards,

Orrick Nepomuceno
Essex 1996

	Heather Terhune, Executive Chef, Atwood Cafe

Heather Terhune always knew she wanted to be a chef. Even as a little girl she loved everything about food. Her mother loves to tell the story that for her 4th birthday Heather requested artichokes and spareribs for dinner. It started then and her love for all things culinary hasn't stopped growing.

Though she was born in New Jersey and lived for a while in Vermont, Heather essentially grew up in Kansas City. With the goal of becoming a chef always at the forefront of her mind, Heather decided to take a different route. Instead of heading straight out to culinary school, Heather enrolled at the University of Missouri-Columbia to get her BA in Hotel and Restaurant Management. She felt it was important to have the experience of going to college, a place where she could grow up and figure out what she was all about. Only then would she pursue a culinary degree. In fact, Heather didn't work in any restaurants or in the food industry while in college. Again, she knew she'd get there, so she spent her time experimenting and doing everything else that goes along with college.

After graduation Heather enrolled at NECI. Returning to Vermont was very appealing and though she never actually visited the NECI campus, she was passionate about food and wine and knew in her gut that NECI was the right place to be. Her parents checked out the school during a vacation trip, and told her how hard it was going to be. The kitchens are hot, there would be long hours, was she sure she wanted to go all the way to Vermont? Heather couldn't be swayed differently so she packed up and moved across the country to start doing what she had wanted to do for nearly 20 years - become a chef.

Heather arrived with no culinary skills whatsoever. But her passion for what she was learning stood out and she loved being surrounded with people who were as excited about food as she was. Her first internship was with Chef Jacques at Bacco in New Orleans. Here she was the small town girl in the big city and learning what it really meant to be a chef. Heather worried about making mistakes. She remembers clearly being given a salmon to prepare. After completely mangling the fish and being mortified at having to show it to the chef, he gave her a second one, no questions asked. Each mistake allowed her to grow and grow and learn. By the end of her first internship she knew she had what it takes to be a chef and that returning to NECI for a second year would be beneficial.

Things started to move fast for Heather in her second year. Heather decided to go to Washington, DC with a gang of friends for her second internship. She understood the importance of working with the very best, so she secured a position working for Jean-Louis Palladin. She didn't care if she had to start at the bottom she wanted to learn as much as she could from the best.

When the restaurant closed, after a year and a half, Heather looked around and decided there was no one else in DC who she wanted to work with. So she picked up and moved with a friend to Durham, North Carolina taking a job as a pastry chef, while he took the sous chef position at the Magnolia Grill. She considers this her first real job. It wasn't long when she learned the power of connections. The owner of Magnolia Grill had an Italian restaurant, Pops, that just wasn't making it. Heather and her friend were given the space to do whatever they wanted. They had complete creative control and had a blast! They surrounded themselves with a team of people they could trust. They worked with farmers who came to the back door with their produce, then highlighted those goods on the menu that night. Heather slowly worked her way from pastry to line cook to finally the executive sous chef. Everything was coming together, her BA in management and her strong education and experiences from NECI were key to doing exactly what she wanted.

But Heather couldn't stay put. She craved a new challenge and by 1998 Heather was ready to move on, back to the big city. She had visited Chicago over the years, and knew that she'd like to return to her roots in the Midwest. So she took out the Zagat Guide and sent her resume to every place in Chicago that she thought she'd like to work. In every case she addressed her letters to the executive chefs.

Heather soon received a phone call from the Kimpton Group in San Francisco asking her if she'd be interested in working for them at a new restaurant in Chicago. For the life of her she couldn't figure out how they got her resume! With a little detective work she learned that a chef from Chicago who had received her resume took it with him when he interviewed in San Francisco for the new restaurant. Though he didn't get the job, Heather was hired over the phone! She was going to be the pastry chef of the new restaurant, 312 Chicago. She took off for Chicago in January and helped open the new restaurant in March 1999.

It wasn't too long before the folks at Kimpton realized what a find they had in Heather. Kimpton was opening another new restaurant and Heather watched as people passed through her doors applying for and then passing on the opportunity of being its executive chef. Though Heather never considered asking for the job, the CFO finally suggested that they actually had the perfect person to take the helm of the new 75 seat restaurant. And so Heather landed at the Atwood Café.

	Heather in Tuscany

Heather considers herself fortunate to work for a company that takes a chance on you. The people she works with are passionate, friendly and strong supporters of their employees. She and her general manager are given complete creative control of the restaurant. Kimpton's emphasis on work-life balance makes it easy to be effective at work while taking care of herself. A nice bonus is their sabbatical program. Last fall, Heather was able to take a month off to travel to Italy. She spent her time in Tuscany and northern Italy exploring the culture and food.

Heather is inspired by her travels. By spending time experiencing different parts of the country and world she has taken in a lot. She emphasizes that working in a variety of restaurants has been key to her learning process.

Heather has some advice for NECI's current students. "You must make sure you have a passion for what you are doing. If you don't, you need to do something else. Working as a chef takes a lot of time and dedication. And, don't forget to keep learning - read everything you can get your hands on. There are plenty of magazines, cookbooks and her favorite, the New York Times Food section on Wednesdays. She advises the students to work hard and listen to their instructors. If you are passionate about the food, you must soak it all up so you can go out there and truly make a difference."

After months of planning, NECI's new Alumni Job Board, www.necihotjobs.com is up and running and ready for you!

The new Alumni Job Board is exclusively available to alumni. On it you will find postings for a variety of positions in the culinary field. Positions come from two sources: alumni, who have positions available in their establishments may post for free, and non-alumni companies, who may post for a small fee. You will be able to search by position, state, salary range and a multiple of other factors. Our goal is to make this one of the best resources available for alumni. Not only do we encourage you to use it, but we want you to post positions to it! And we will be advertising the new job board to establishments across the country as their very best resource for NECI graduates.

Check it out! Let us know what you think!

What a great invention the Survey Monkey is! I sent out my very first, test survey at the beginning of January. The purpose of the survey was two fold: first, to find out if there were folks who planned on attending the Boston Food Show, and second, to see what kind of response I would get.

And how you responded! Over 550 alumni responded to the survey! And the information I received was incredibly valuable. I now know that 100 people think they may attend the show in Boston. I know that many of you felt that the survey was not applicable to you, but because I heard from alumni back in November that if they had known about the NYC Restaurant Show in advance, they might have been there, I sent the survey to everyone. I also learned that many, many folks are really looking for some alumni events in their area. And that most of you would be willing to answer these types of short surveys in the future.

But the real value was in the comments. Here is a sampling:
- I would attend a NECI event if it was located near where I live (Las Vegas, NV)
- I would go to the show if I wasn't living in Florida
- This survey is silly
- Thanks for offering this to us. We appreciate it very much!
- Do you ever have anything on the west coast?
- I like the idea of NECI events.
- I live too far away (New Zealand)
- Thank you for the chance to provide input to NECI
- NECI was an experience I won't soon forget!

There were many more that were very specific and I plan on responding to them all. What I heard loud and clear was the desire for us to get out to you. So though this specific survey didn't apply to many of you, it gave me valuable information on what we should do next. I will begin planning next year's budget soon, and this will be a key component of my budget.

So what is next? I would like to continue using Survey Monkey to ask you quick questions on a topic of interest. I expect you will see a survey every couple of months. Please take the time to respond - it definitely gives me information for planning for the future.

And of course, you can always let me know what you are thinking or doing. Please share with me! I really look forward to seeing where this takes us!

Karen

By Karen Nevin, Director of Alumni Relations

I will be at the NECI Booth (#122) at the New England Foodservice & Lodging Exposition in Boston from March 22-24. I really want to meet as many alumni as possible so stop by! Please drop by to visit, reminisce and see what NECI is up to. If you are interested in helping out at the booth for a couple of hours, let me know (karen.nevin-at-neci.edu). We can provide badges for the show to anyone who gives us a hand.

I am really looking forward to the first NECI Alumni Association Mini-Conference which we are planning for Monday, March 23 in the afternoon. We have just begun planning so stay tuned. If you would like to help with the planning, please get in touch. I am very excited about this event and if it is successful (and of course, it will be very successful!) I hope to take it on the road!

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!

Continue your education, grow your possibilities, and realize your goals with a BA in Culinary Arts or BA in Hospitality and Restaurant Management. Learn from NECI's highly trained BA Instructors and broaden your understanding of what you can accomplish in the industry. Benefit from Vermont's full growing season. Gain experience by working directly with local farmers and further your education in sustainability and extending the season. Experience Montreal's International Market and purchase exotic ingredients first hand; discover International Cuisines in the classroom.

Our BA Specializations will further your understanding of Sustainability, Wine and Beverages, and Baking and Pastry Arts.

Contact the Admissions Department to plan your March '09 enrollment now! We're as near as the phone, toll-free, 877.223.6324. Or email us at admissions-at-neci.edu

Here's what one graduate of a NECI BA program has to say:
"I wanted to write you because I am faced every single day with a situation that I can trace back to a learning moment at NECI, either in the BA or the associates program. I think of Garde Manger every week, because I get all of the fruit plate requests for parties because mine are "Ryan's legendary fruit plates," as Chef likes to call them. When I finished my hours at Atwood Cafe, they promoted me to Kitchen Supervisor. This is a great learning position because I am in charge of 40+ staff members, and I do the ordering five nights a week. I deal with controlling food cost, planning the prep list for the next day, coming up with daily fish specials, and trying to utilize product. I have felt so prepared in each of these areas because we covered these topics in classes throughout the curriculum, especially in the BA with Kitchen Management, Art of Culinary Presentation, and our financial classes with Claire…"

Greetings NECI Alumni!

My name in Terri Taylor and I am the Program Manager for the Continuing Education Division. I want to share with you the exciting work we've accomplished over the past year, and offer a glimpse of Continuing Ed's future.

With the generous help of Vermont's Department of Labor, we created The Hospitality Institute (HI) designed to bring hospitality training and education programs to hospitality communities in Vermont. From April to June, we conducted a series of classes in World Class Wine and Beverage Studies, Impressive Table Service, and Supervision in the Hospitality Industry at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe. The second iteration of these courses was held in October and November at The Summit Lodge in Killington.

We are very pleased to announce that our request for another VHI Grant was met. It is our hope that we can build on the momentum gained from the initial HI project! This year we will again offer a series of public offerings, but will also focus on helping the Vermont hospitality community understand and address specific and specialized needs through customized programs.

What does this mean for you?

If you are a NECI alumnus living or working in Vermont, you will have access to these high quality programs through the generosity of the Vermont Department of Labor. Stay tuned for more details to come…

If you are NECI alumni living elsewhere, but have a need to train both your novice and experienced staff, we have a well developed, portable, high quality cadre of programs to offer! As part of the greater NECI Family, we would love to work with you to ensure these programs are affordable and valuable.

For more information regarding what NECI Continuing Education can do for you please contact me by phone at 802.535.1089 or by e-mail at terri.taylor-at-neci.edu.

Best wishes to you all in 2009!

Ruth Feldman (1984 Montpelier Culinary) is involved with the planning for this year's Chefs for the Cure event to support the Massachusetts Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The Massachusetts Affiliate is serving up a delicious way to fight and eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease.

As part of our Chefs for the Cure event on April 3, 2009, we are collecting recipes from the area's most prominent chefs to assemble in a commemorative cookbook to be sold at the event.

If you are interested in showcasing your signature dish, please provide the recipe along with:
1. A headshot of yourself
2. A photo of your dish (black & white)
3. Information about your restaurant

Your recipe is to serve a quantity suitable for the people cooking at home. Please include an explanation of any unusual ingredients and a likely source of purchase.

If possible, please send recipe as a Word document, in a format with the list of ingredients and quantities followed by instructions.

Please send your recipe to: Candice Kiss at candiceakiss-at-aol.com
Please feel free to add any personal story or reason for selection. Thank you!

The Komen Massachusetts Affiliate works to reduce breast cancer in our state by funding education, screening and treatment programs, with an emphasis on the medically underserved. In 2007, with the help of the community and events, Komen Massachusetts raised over 2 million dollars. Our Affiliate continues to grow and act as a caring resource for local men and women. We are committed to 100% screening, 100% access to care.

By David Hale, Director of Career Services

Sous Chef sought for new restaurant in New York City
NECI alumnus, Manuel Trevino sent us the following email:

I have a sous chef position for anyone looking now. We will open the new Italian/Mediterranean restaurant with 60 seats and look to almost double that size within a year with a cafe and lower level opening. It will be fine dining with a relaxed feel. The kitchen is small and tight with 3 hot line cooks, 2 cold (pastry and pantry) and an expo. There is also a tiny prep kitchen in the basement. I will pass along the website info as it comes on line.

Manuel Treviño III
Executive Chef
Travertine
19 Kenmare
New York, NY 10012
mtrevino@travertinenyc.com
Phone + 1 347 813 1069
Fax + 1 212 901 1935
www.travertinenyc.com (currently not online yet)

F&B Manager/Assistant Clubhouse Manager

This is an entry level position for a strong waiter, captain, or recent graduate who has a strong sense of front and back of the house and good training skills. We are working with a small country club in Central Virginia. They are offering a chance to a person who wants to enter the Club Industry and move up through the ranks. The club offers breakfast, lunch and dinner – banquets, buffets, a la carte, parties and family events. If you have what it takes, this is definitely a good opportunity.

Salary: 30K with a full package
Please email resume to bvon3@yahoo.com
Or call for questions 252-635-1983
Bedelia von Paulhus, von Paulhus & Associates, Inc

Interim Executive Chef: Woods Hole Golf Club, Falmouth, Mass.

Founded in 1899, The Woods Hole Golf Club enjoys the reputation of being an elite Golf Club in Falmouth. The club's membership is comprised of the social and business leaders of the United States. Club facilities include a championship 18 hole golf course, 4 tennis courts, 20,000 square foot clubhouse for member dining and entertaining. Annual food and beverage revenues are $729,000. The club is open 9 months a year and hosts a full calendar of traditional club, golf, tennis and holiday events.

The Executive Chef will be a dynamic and experienced professional possessing all the requisite skills for the position. He or she will be the visible and accessible leader to both the staff and members alike. The ability to work "hands on" with the staff and to mentor, train and lead is essential. Interaction with the membership is encouraged and expected. Club menus range from traditional offerings to current trends with a strong emphasis on high end social events like wedding and community functions.

Contact Information:
Michael Fay CCM
Email: office@woodsholegolfclub.com
Fax: 508-540-9660

Chef Position at a unique Summer Camp
Career Services field dozens of calls for Camp Cooks, and generally we pass on posting many of them. When this opportunity came across my desk, I was very interested due to the focus of the camp and the location (the San Juan Islands in Washington are amazingly beautiful). This job may not be right for anyone, but if any of you want to take a break from the ordinary and work with kids for a season, this might be a great opportunity for you. Check it out! DH

The camp centers on the French language and culture, of which the French cuisine plays an important role. It was founded 40 years ago by a wealthy doctor who wanted a place for his daughter to learn about France and the culture. Since then it has attracted campers and counselors from across the globe. When I worked there we had counselors from the US, France, England and Canada; and we had campers from the US, France, and Spain. Obviously, any students interested should know about French cuisine as the directors try to keep everything in the camp centered around all things French. We are looking for a head chef, sous chef and kitchen assistant to work from May to early September at our private island summer camp for 9-16 year olds. Live in a cedar guest home, swim in our heated pool, play tennis on your time off. Kayaks, sailboats, trails, beaches, trips to Orcas, Lopez and Friday Harbor, and whale watching.

Phone: 360.468.2339
info@canoeisland.org
www.canoeisland.org

NECI is hard at work talking to students all over New England, encouraging them to attend the New England Culinary Institute. You can find Chef Mark Molinaro in the following places:

Demo at Balsams Hotel, Dixville Notch, NH - January 30
Demo at River Valley Tech, Springfield, VT - February 2
ACF Regional's in Boston - February 6-10
Judging NY ProStart in Rochester, NY - March 13-16

Would you like to help out? Are we in your area? If you would like to join one of the Admissions reps when they talk to students, please let me know! Students love to hear about NECI alumni – you are the best recruiters we have!

Wow! We heard from so many people this past month! Lots of folks sent us great updates on what they are up to, and I have shared everything here. If you feel like you are missing out, just email me at karen.nevin-at-neci.edu and tell me what's going on. I promise it will be included in the next newsletter!

2008

Kristina Parker (Montpelier Baking & Pastry) reported that she is living in Ithaca, NY and working at the Carriage House Café as the head baker. She's been there for a year and is thinking it might be time for a change! She's thinking about Chicago and Atlanta. I know there are plenty of NECI alumni out there for her to connect with!

Scott Opdyke (Montpelier Culinary) wrote us a long letter letting us know that he married his beautiful bride this past September! They are happy and living in Belair, Maryland. For the last five years Scott has been working at a local country club in Maryland, the last year and a half as the executive chef. He is sad to report that in the market, luxury facilities like his have really taken a hit. He was laid off just after the holidays. He notes that he seems to have trained his sous chefs a little too well and the company felt they could do without him.

He's not worrying as he has been working with a business partner on a project to buy an existing landmark restaurant. He's looks forward to reporting further in an upcoming newsletter!

Daniel Schillinger (Montpelier Culinary) is the executive sous chef at Forte di Asprinio in West Palm Beach, Florida. Daniel is thrilled to report that Forte was awarded one of ten regional Innovative Culinary Hospitality Restaurants of the Year by Sante!

2007

Nicholas Elia (Essex Culinary) dropped us a note to say that he left for his final internship in May 2006 and went to the Ritz Carlton in Dana Point, CA to work at Restaurant 162' for Chef Joel Harrington. After his internship, Nicholas was hired and continued to work for chef Joel. After a year, the chef left the Ritz and Nicholas transferred to the banquet kitchen and started working for chef Jim Fritz. He has been there for two fantastic years and he couldn't be happier. Nicholas will be celebrating his third anniversary at the Ritz soon and he thanks NECI for giving him the tools to succeed in a kitchen like The Ritz Carlton!

Katelyn Ferland (Montpelier Baking & Pastry) dropped us a note to say she is working at the Snake River Grill in Jackson, Wyoming. She is plating desserts and hopes to be doing more production soon.

Mike Rocklin (Montpelier Culinary) had an interesting day in December. He sent us an email titled "AVALANCHE!!!!!!!!!!!!" The news, in Mike's words:

"We had a very interesting day at the restaurant – it was destroyed by an avalanche. At about 9:00 this morning the area we call the Headwall was being cleared by ski patrol and they set off a slide that triggered a bigger slide, and that slide came crashing into to building that houses my restaurant. No one was hurt, though three ski patrollers were caught in the slide. They were caught in the tail end and were quickly dug out. The Avalanche completely destroyed the south side of the building. It came through Cornice, our private dining room, which is a total loss. It then crashed through the wall and came about 30 feet into the Rendevous dining room. It tore all the glass walls off of our outdoor deck and crushed the south wall of the Couloir dining room. It took about 40 guys six hours to remove all the snow and get the building patched up. The building should be able to be repaired, but we won't know for sure until tomorrow."

You can see more of the pictures that Mike posted at his website www.mikerocklinphotography.com. He ended his email with a note that he expected to be open for New Years!

2006

Michelle (Shelly) Hays-Cole (Essex Culinary) sent us a long update:
"I still dream of opening my own bakery. My husband and I even drew up plans once - but the building we were interested in purchasing was torn down before we could make a move. Guess that's what happens when you wait too long!

My life since I left NECI is a novel - too long for the newsletter, I think. I got married in 2003 and I've had two children since then, and moved from West Virginia to Connecticut. Before the move, I was actually the Director of Dining Services at a private college in Ohio, but due to my pregnancy with our first child, I had to leave the position. While I was pregnant (and bored out of my skull baking cookies for the neighbors!), I went back into web design, which was originally just a hobby. It's since turned into a business that has actually grown by leaps and bounds - and I love it.

I still cook - but now it's more personal - for family and friends, and I belong to a few networking groups in the area that I get to cook for their events on occasion (one woman even gave me a serious offer at becoming her personal chef - so it's nice to know "I've still got it!"). I still dream of opening up that little coffee shop/bakery sometimes. But I love what I'm doing now - and when I get a client that's a "foodie" I really enjoy doing their websites since it's a subject that's near and dear to my heart. I've done a few restaurant sites in the past, as well as some cooking video blogs, recipe sites, etc. So when I get a client like that, it all comes back to me :)

But I'll tell you, I don't miss having a boss!"

Christopher Levitre (Essex Culinary) is the Chef de cuisine at G'Vanni's Ristorante Italiano in Worcester, MA. The restaurant was reviewed recently. You can read the review HERE.

Melissa Lopez (Montpelier Culinary) let us know that she is returning to Vermont in March. She's been in Puerto Rico for about two years. While there she started and ran a small and successful catering business named Casa Delicias. At the same time she enjoyed being a mom to her almost two year old son Michael. Business was good but with the troubled economy it has started to get a little difficult. She has decided to make the small sacrifice of closing down the business in order to return to Vermont, but is hopeful that she can start a similar venture here when the economy is more stable. Her first goal is to find a job in catering or in a kitchen and plan her wedding! Welcome back Melissa and keep us posted!

2005

Ben Clay (Essex Culinary) sent us his news in December:

"I left Sweet Basil in spring of 2005 to return back home to Missouri due to some personal issues. I felt like I was taking a step back. I figured that I was just going to get back on my feet and then venture back out into the world. My brother Dennis asked me to work at the restaurant where he was the current P.M. sous chef. It was a place in the small historic town of Rocheport called Les Bourgeois Bistro.

I started working as a P.M. grill cook right of the bat. My education and past experience was definitely a huge help in getting me in the door at the busiest station in the restaurant. It was great working side by side with my older brother again and also my younger cousin (who was a dishdog for a short time) and we were jumping head first into the busy season. The head chef Mark Sultroup was also new in his position having only been there a few months prior to me. He had come from working at the University of Missouri and started to implement some really good professional standards. He also gave me some leeway on creating nightly grill specials, and only two months into the job I was running Sunday brunch by myself.

Well the summer came and went and the busy fall season approached, we changed the menu and continued to push through the last of the busy season. Then something came up, my brother was offered a position as Chef de Cuisine at the newly open MU Arena (the University's basketball arena). This opened the door for me to be hired as the new P.M. Sous Chef at the Bistro. I felt great - after only six months at Les Bourgeois I was already the P.M. Sous.

So as the next couple of years passed we went from busy to slow, overstaffed to understaffed, and dealt with the crazy anomalies that come with working out in the middle of the country. We also went on to hire two more culinary grads who became my P.M. and A.M. sous chefs as well as great friends. The menus changed as did the seasons and in October of 2007 Chef Mark was offered a position to open a new sleek restaurant in downtown Columbia named Bleu. He respectfully accepted the position and Les Bourgeois asked me to be the interim Executive Chef. I one-hundred percent accepted and took off with flying colors, whipping out a new fall menu in one week and importing more of my NECI standards into the kitchen.

Now a year and two months have passed and I am no long the interim chef and am going on my fourth year of employment at Les Bourgeois. I have been nominated for the Best Chef category in the yearly Best of Columbia and we are making some ground in serving our Missouri clientele innovative versions of childhood classics (I have Peter Pan syndrome!). To think that I thought I was digressing when I left Colorado! Thank you again NECI for the fine education you gave me and I took!

	John Belding (far right) and Jennifer Toce visiting with Gesine's former owner, Raymond Prado.

John Belding (Montpelier Culinary) has purchased the Montpelier, Vermont confectionary Gesine's with his wife Jennifer Toce. They plan on reopening the café as Birchgrove Baking in January.

Jason Marks (Montpelier Culinary) got in touch. He is currently on the Big Island of Hawai'i, working at a mediterranean café, Merriman's Market Cafe. He has been there for three years (with another year at their fine dining, Hawaii regional cuisine restaurant, Merriman's Waimea) and is really enjoying the fresh and local produce and fish concepts. Merriman's is expanding to the island of Kaui and has just opened a beautiful fine dining restaurant on Maui. He wants the alumni out there to know that if anyone is looking for work out this way, there will be plenty of opportunities with Merriman's (www.merrimanshawaii.com). That's how our alumni think! The best in the culinary world are from NECI, so if you want to head to Hawaii, connect with Jason and Merriman's.

Jeryl Nappi (Montpelier Culinary) was sorry to tell us that her family has closed their bakery, The Bakery and Cafe, in Kennebunkport, Maine. Jeryl plans on keeping her wedding cake business open while she figures out what comes next.

Mike Nowak (Montpelier Culinary) who has been working at Bar Cento for about a year has just been named the new head chef at Bier Markt/Bar Cento in Cleveland. Congrats Mike!

2004

Matthew Kennedy (Montpelier Culinary) wished us all a Happy Holidays from Ontario, Canada.

Heidi Morrell (Montpelier Culinary) dropped us a note to let us know that she is the sous chef at the General Electric Learning Center in Schenectady, New York. Thanks for getting in touch!

2003

Gay Heit (Essex Culinary) has let us know that she has left Ohio and is now living in San Francisco.

Elsa Ortega (Essex Culinary) is working as a baker at the New Seasons Market in Portland, Oregon.

Amy Caffarel (Montpelier Culinary) decided it was time to send us an update. She's currently the executive pastry chef at the Meridian Club in the Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies. Sounds warm!

2002

Sara Kuhns (Essex Culinary) has let us know that she is the new pastry chef at the New Seasons Market in Portland, Oregon.

Turner Rust (Montpelier Culinary) is working as a pastry chef at the Café at Pat's Meat Market in Portland, Maine. A review of the café appeared in the Maine Sunday Telegram in December. You can read the review HERE

2001

Philip Oswalt (Essex Culinary) dropped us a note. Philip has been working at the Heathman Restaurant in Portland, Oregon. In January he and the executive chef are leaving to take over the Multnomah Athletic Club. The club has 21,000 members and he looks forward to bringing the dining experience up another notch!

James Clark (Montpelier Culinary) wrote to let us know that he is living in
Myrtle Beach and working as the executive chef at the Marina Inn at Grande Dunes. His wife Marcey Clark (1997 Essex Culinary) and he have two daughters, Madison, age 8 and Paige, age 20 months. In May they will be celebrating their 12 year anniversary! Marcey is enjoying life with her own wholesale dessert business called "Whoopie Pies."

Autumn Barber Opitz (Montpelier Culinary) and Nicholas Opitz (Montpelier Culinary) opened Aioli Delicatessen about a year ago. They have moved from Tucson, Arizona, to New Hampshire and then back west to California. After realizing their dream would be to open their own place, Aioli was born. They took a small place, with no cooking equipment and turned it into something of their dreams. Aioli is small, but the flavor is large. Everything is made on site. The sides vary from day to day, depending on what is available and also on what they think they public would like most. The soup changes every day as does the dessert. Check out their website HERE

2000

Jodi Hubacz (Essex Culinary) gave us a heads up on some good schools for NECI to visit in Massachusetts. We really appreciate NECI alumni always keeping the good word on NECI out there. And remember, if you refer someone to NECI and they come to school, we will give them a $1,000 scholarship in your name. Thanks Jodi!

Kenny Burke (Montpelier Culinary) dropped us a note over the holidays. He has recently moved to Windham, NH. He had been working as a lobster man for the past year, declaring it a much needed break from culinary world. But he is now well rested and ready to get back at it. Thanks for checking in!

Jason Walker and his son, Miles

Jason Walker (Montpelier Culinary) sent us a wonderful update:
"I am back home in North Carolina and have been for more than 7 years now. I married a girl from California who I met while on internship in Lake Tahoe. Marie and I love living on the family farm and plan to build a new home here within a year or so. My son Miles is 7 and rides motorcycles and plays middle linebacker for his school. My daughter Cadence is 4 and is into dance competition. She starts kindergarten next year. I was an executive chef at a country club here in North Carolina, but the hours were long, nights, weekends and holidays were taxing, and my kids didn't know who I was. So, I have taken a job with Sysco Charlotte so that I can be home at night and on weekends. This past Thanksgiving I was off for the first time in over 12 years! People keep saying that I wasted my time and money going to NECI, but I set them straight immediately. I still cater parties and receptions and my kids are the best fed kids in the state. I love taking the kids out to the garden to pick what I cook for dinner that night. Both love Thai, Indian, and Sushi. I wish I had a palate like theirs growing up! In my daily work routine, I come across many people interested in culinary schools and I consistently tell them that NECI is the best option for a solid culinary education.

1999

Tim Hughes (Essex Culinary) let us know that he is now in Florida. He hopes to reconnect with alumni programs and the newsletter. It's good to hear from you Tim!

Rashelle Cutshall (Montpelier Culinary) sent us an update. She owns her own personal chef business called Nature's Gourmet, where she prepares meals in her client's homes. She also gives cooking classes and cooks for small dinner parties and receptions. Her main focus is cooking with whole foods that are local and organic. She enjoys building relationships with local food producers and at the local farmer's market. In addition, she gives cooking demos at the farmer's market with whatever the farmers are offering that particular Saturday, which is also her focus in her cooking classes.

Chet Wallenstein (Montpelier Culinary) shared that he and his wife had a baby girl, Ava, in November. Congratulations Chet!

1998

Terrie Kohl (Essex Culinary) has a personal-chef and cooking-class business called Country Club Market in Des Moines. Her business was profiled at length in a recent article in the Des Moines Register. Read more HERE.

Levi Mezick (Montpelier Culinary) is now the executive sous chef at Café Boulud. Since graduating he has moved from Oceana, to Thomas Keller's Per Se and then to Daniel's. Levi lives in Astoria, NY with his wife Alex, and their 2 year old son Noah. Levi is pleased to report that Noah loves to play with pots and pans, read cookbooks and go out for dinner with his dad!

1997

Steve Atkins (Essex Culinary) and his restaurant, Kitchen Table Bistro, in Richmond, Vermont was profiled in the December 28th issue of the New York Times Sunday Travel Section in an article entitled "Dazzling Fare Heats up Backwoods Vermont."

1996

Anthony de Palma (Essex Culinary) is the chef/owner of Dolce de Palma in West Palm Beach, Florida. His restaurant was recently reviewed stating "Dolce de Palma brings a true big-city sophistication to a semi-big city that has long cried out for such a spot." To read more, click HERE.

Jill Smith (Essex Culinary) dropped us a note to tell us what's going on. She is currently in her third year as a business owner. She owns Millbrook Company specializing in organic artisan breads and ice cream. She sells wholesale and at farmers markets but has recently signed a year lease to open a retail scoop shop/bakery in Blue Hill, Maine. The area is seasonal, but she has noticed that her season keeps getting longer every year and locals are eating more and more local and organic. She runs her business out of her commercial kitchen which she put together from scratch in the daylight basement of her new home, in Sedgwick, Maine. She lives in the top half and the rest of the house is the business. She tells us that she loves the challenge of it all!

Meredith Laurence (Montpelier Culinary) has a new show on QVC called the "Blue Jean Chef." The show premiered on January 15th and can be seen regularly on Thursdays from 7-8 p.m. Meredith had been working as a manager of a test kitchen and teaching at a cooking school for home chefs in San Francisco when QVC approached her about presenting the Tuesday Night Cooking Class. Since then she has been involved with developing new products for the kitchen, consulting on product design, testing products and presenting them on QVC. It has all led to her own show starting this month.

1995

Jon Fath (Essex Culinary) has purchased a restaurant in Barre, Vermont with his wife Lucie. The restaurant, Lucia's Italian Restaurant & Bar will be opening shortly and occupies the former home of the popular Sean and Nora's. Jon and his wife continue to run Toscano Café/Bistro in Richmond, Vermont. With the help of their three sons, Sam, 21, Max, 19, and Dylan, 17, that restaurant, which features rustic Mediterranean cuisine primarily from northern Italy, is thriving. You can read the announcement HERE

Tom Black (Montpelier Culinary) dropped us a quick note. He is currently a chef instructor at a small local cooking school called Culinary Communion, and loving it. He missed teaching since his stint at NECI and says that Culinary Communion has a lot of the same values.

Brenda Klein (Montpelier Culinary) sent Chef Michel her annual holiday newsletter brimming with news. Brenda has a new job at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases at UCSF, where she supports the Nobel Prize winning scientist who discovered why mad-cow disease happens. The lab where she works is applying the same research to understanding Parkinson's Lou Gherig's Disease, Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and other maladies of the brain.

Matt Schapiro (Montpelier Culinary, BA Culinary 1997) has left the culinary world but still likes to stay in touch with NECI. He is now making custom coins, pins, medallions and other items with his business SoCalGeocoins.com in California. He runs the business with his wife and son and designs all of the coins and sell them via the internet. Check out the business HERE.

	The bike Joe will be riding this summer!

1993

Joe Johnson (Montpelier Culinary) recently got in touch with Howard Fisher. Joe reports that he's participating in handicapped bike racing and rode about 600 miles during the summer and fall. He's planning a 1400 mile ride during August around Utah. He's hoping to raise money and awareness for vets with disabilities. Joe will have the NECI spoon embroidered on the back of his ride jersey! You can see the bike he is riding at www.terratrike.com. We wish Joe lots of luck and he promises to give us more details on his plans in an upcoming newsletter.

1992

Kurt Friese (Essex Culinary) is doing a food demo for Slow Food Sante Fe at the end of January. Kurt is the executive chef and owner, with his wife, of Devotay in Iowa City.

Brad MacFiggen (Essex Culinary) is the Executive Chef of the new restaurant T1 Tapas:eat.drink.connect in Huntersville, NC. Along with a wonderful tapas menu, the restaurant offers a patent-pending "T1 Connection Booth" in which diners can access music, videos and photos using built-in computers. Now that's a new and different dining experience!

Kris Springer (Montpelier Culinary) dropped us a note. He spent a few years with the Marriot Corporation as a Specialty Restaurant Chef, which meant that he ran the fine dining kitchen, developed menus and trained staff, but left 3 years ago to the greatest job ever. He is now teaching at the Connecticut Culinary Institute. Kris is certified as an instructor/proctor for Servsafe, a member of the ACF in Connecticut, has received gold and silver medals in the ACF sanctioned showpiece category, and is in the process of finalizing his CEC through the ACF. On the home front he is still married with three kids: Olivia, 8; Sarah, 11; and Ethan, 13 and living in Wilbraham, Massachusetts.

1991

Amy Chamberlain (Montpelier Culinary) and her restaurant The Perfect Wife Restaurant and Tavern in Manchester, Vermont were recently profiled in the Food & Dining Section of Vermont's Times Argus.

1990

Gerry Beck (Montpelier Culinary), who is the Prepared Foods Team Leader at Whole Foods Market in London has let us know he is expecting his first child in March! Congratulations Gerry, we look forward to getting photos!

1989

Johnathan Sundstrom (Montpelier Culinary) is the chef and owner of Lark Restaurant in Seattle. He will be providing the cuisine for the See Listen Taste Feel party, a fundraiser for the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle.

1987

Scott Stillman's (Montpelier Culinary) business, Home Bistro, was listed as a "Great Find" in December. Scott has spent nearly twenty years perfecting the sous-vide cooking process used by Home Bistro. You can read the review HERE

1984

Robert Bennett (Monpelier Culinary) will be conducting a cooking demonstration and tasting called "For the Love of Chocolate" in February for the Jewish Federation in Cherry Hill.

1983

Peter Greweling (Montpelier Culinary) is teaching at CIA and has published a book, Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner. He was recently heard on NPR discussing sugar plum cookies.