I. Message from the President
II. Timing crucial to Cook's career path
III. My First Cooking Lesson
IV. Growing industry: NECI grads find success at vineyards
V. Save the Date
VI. Alumni Notes

March 21, 2007

Dear Alumni:

Weather may not be top of mind for residents in other parts of the country, but it can be here in Vermont. There still is a lot of snow on the ground, but on this first day of spring the sun is shining and the temperatures are above freezing - a nice change from below zero temperatures last night. The ski resorts finally have several feet of loose powder and skiers are loving it. Only the maple sugar farmers are struggling right now because the sap has not been running.

This issue of the newsletter continues with features of alumni one of whom, Tammy Cook, has been featured before in a hard copy of the newsletter mailed last year. However, so many of the mailings came back because of bad addresses, we decided to feature her again.

What is new for this issue, however, are articles written by students. Maybe their dreams will remind you of your earlier days. Please enjoy them for what they are and do not hesitate to respond if so moved.

In the future, we also plan to begin featuring some generic news about the industry supplied by our friends at Sante magazine. There may be similar arrangements with other magazines in the future. Tell us if you like them.

It is not too early to begin to think about the upcoming annual meeting of the NECI Alumni Association. It will be held the night before graduation, June 1st, most likely at Ten Acres with dinner followed by a meeting for the election of officers and other business that attendees want to bring up. Rooms should be available for those who are staying overnight. All alumni in attendance will be asked to come to the graduation the next day for special recognition. Information will be sent out in April as soon as details are finalized.

In closing, continue to check in. Sandy Webb and the rest of us always enjoy hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Fran

By Kristin Fletcher

Tamie Cook had a pretty good idea what her life after NECI would look like. Her vision involved taking small groups to France for culinary tours and cooking classes.

She was laying the groundwork for that plan, sitting in NECI's placement office on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorism and politics convened to darken the international travel picture.

It was not the first time Cook had had to completely reassess her future. In 1999, she found herself laid off from her job as an occupational therapist, a casualty of a hospital reorganization. That setback put her on the path to NECI. This time, Cook postponed her plans to learn the business side of culinary travel, and opted instead for an internship with Alton Brown and his burgeoning cable show, "Good Eats."

In between the hectic shooting schedule for the 11th season of "Good Eats," Cook discussed her work today as the culinary director for Be Square Production. She is responsible for recipe testing and development and oversees the research coordinator. Together they fill notebooks with potential subjects, current culinary controversies, historical anecdotes, and anthropological findings.

Throw in a little science, and out shakes a typical, but never mundane, topic for "Good Eats."

While Brown may be NECI's most visible alumni to date, with cookbooks, DVDs, and devoted fan sites trailing in his wake, at the time of her internship, Cook had never heard of him or his show. She made every effort to watch an episode before going down for the interview, but her lack of knowledge actually worked in her favor.

"Alton asked what I thought of 'Good Eats,' and I told him I had never seen the show, and he said, 'You're hired.'" Cook said Brown was looking for "someone interested in the learning process rather than having stars in their eyes."

After six months with Brown, handling the shopping, helping with food preparation, and making lunch for the crew, Cook secured one of four stagiere positions with author and founder of La Varenne cooking school, Anne Willan, in Burgundy, France.

Cook had actually first considered making a career of cooking when she lived in Paris in the early 1990s and relished the experience of visiting the farmers' markets, buying food from those who grew and made it. As an intern at La Varenne, she was returning as a student of cooking, as well as of the culinary tourism scene.

Before her six-month stay was up, she found herself at another crossroads, this one of her own making.

"I ended up being offered a position as a sous chef (at a French restaurant) when, just two years prior to that, I had never worked in a kitchen before," Cook said. "I completely credit that to NECI."

Still, she decided she was not ready to make the move to France permanent.
"It was not the right place for me, but I was most grateful for the offer," she said.

by Casey Husted

MOD 2 students take an introductory college writing class, Effective Writing, which uses essays and articles by food writers and industry professionals as models. Students write personal experience essays, chef profiles, descriptive food pieces, career-related reports and proposals, and complete a research-based final writing project on a self-selected topic.

We are happy to have Casey Husted's story as our first inclusion. Casey, 19, from Dallas, TX, began the Culinary Arts program in September 2006.

At the age of eight most people are not thinking "What do I want to make myself for dinner?" But this was the thought that crossed my preteen mind. Right off, I remembered an episode of Blues Clues I'd seen on television one morning.

On the show, Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper had a baby named Paprika. To further my search for knowledge, I asked my aunt who was baby-sitting, "What's paprika?"

"It's a spice used in cooking," she responded. At that moment, I knew what I needed to do. I had to make dinner for my family.

When my mother picked me up, I informed her I was making dinner. She looked at me as if that was an unusual thing, but allowed me to do it anyway. When we got home, I ran into the kitchen and grabbed the chicken that had been defrosting since morning. "I'm making this," I said.

Realizing that I was serious she said, "Okay, but only if I can help." Obviously, I took her on as my staff.

As I sat there thinking what I wanted to make with this chicken, I kept thinking of Paprika from the TV show and her parents, Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper. I rushed to the spice cabinet, grabbed just about everything we had in there, and brought it to my work area.

I started my cooking experience by pouring massive amounts of salt and pepper onto the top of the chicken, followed by a light dusting of paprika. As I continued my quest for culinary greatness, I showered the chicken with dill, oregano, and just about everything else the spice cabinet had to give. I was about to add the final ingredient cinnamon when my mother grabbed my hand and stopped me from ruining the dinner further.

To finish the Dish of Eminent Disaster, I added an entire container of Italian dressing to the mix, for flavor, and let it bake until it was done, which to me was not soon enough.

Dinnertime approached, and my family had no idea what they were in store for as the chicken came to the table. My face, full of pride and a sense of accomplishment was diminished by the sullen looks on my family's faces. My father stood up and said, "So where should we go get pizza?"

I sat there with a destroyed look on my face. But then I knew how bad it really was. From that day, I have tried to make my food better and it has definitely worked. But to this day the story of my first time haunts me.

By Scott Fletcher

If the career paths of two NECI grads in the wine industry is any indication, sometimes you find the industry and sometimes the industry finds you.

For Melissa Close, it was her love of Italian regional cuisine that guided her to her career. Close is the executive chef at Palladio Restaurant at Barboursville Vineyards, just north of Charlottesville, Va.

But about a decade ago, Close was teaching psychology to high school seniors and decided it was time for a change. A friend was doing a NECI internship and got her interested in rediscovering her culinary roots. She has no regrets.

"I put everything I had into it," she said. "I made great contacts at NECI, great friends that I still have, and jump-started myself a new career at age 30."

"I had so much to learn about the construction of food, balancing a menu, pairing wines with food ... I had no practical experience with any of that. I had worked as a short-order cook at diners ... that was my cooking background. NECI took me to a whole new level."

She had postings in Alabama, San Francisco and Colorado before landing at Barboursville. The consistent element in her culinary career has been Italian regional cuisine and the complementary wines.

During the restaurant's annual January closing, the vineyard sends Melissa and her staff to stage at some of northern Italy's finest restaurants, which has led to Palladio's renown for continuous innovation.

"It is a great experience, tremendously valuable," she said. "And it is an awesome perk. We learn a lot there because their style is so different. They move around the kitchen a lot more than we do and they are not as organized as we are. But they are daring, always willing to try different things."

Close said she is happy at Barboursville, and NECI is never far from her thoughts.

"I don't go more than a few weeks without talking to someone at NECI," she said. "I always have a NECI intern on site, and I always ask for more."

Kerry Downey Romaniello's path to the wine industry was aided by a chance meeting. At 38, the South Dartmouth, Mass., native is in her ninth year as the Executive Chef of Westport Rivers' Wine and Food Education Center, at Long Acre House in Westport, Mass.

"I've been working in food since I was a little kid, serving at 11 at my mother's catering business," said Romaniello. "I went to the University of Rhode Island for two years and worked in food service there, and my director suggested a career change."

Romaniello enrolled at NECI and she said it was the perfect fit.

"I liked the standards you were held to," she said. "It was much stricter, there was no traditional college leniancy you find at the traditional university level. You really had to step up to the plate."

She was working as the sous-chef at the Back Bay Restaurant at the Newport Dunes Resort in California when she attended a Beringer Vineyard's-sponsored barbecue in a public park. Romaniello was surprised to see wine being opened.

"I thought, 'wow, we aren?t allowed to do this back east,'" she said. "I met a woman who worked in PR for them, and they were looking for a sous-chef so I went and tried out and that's how I ended up at a big vineyard like Beringer's. All because of a barbecue in a park."

After California, a brief catering stint in Charlotte, N.C., did not work out and Romaniello headed back to South Dartmouth.

The nearby Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery was undergoing some changes at the time of her arrival, and Romaniello, with her Napa background, quickly found a place.

"It's a family-owned vineyard that does things the right way," said Romaniello, who has also become a prolific writer of cookbooks and food articles. "It's not wine for wine's sake, it is the agriculture of the wine that is important. They make their wine based on what is available locally, what grows here. They don't try to be California."

"The challenge was educating the public and cultivating a local following," she said. "At NECI, they teach you to appreciate what you have in your own backyard. The people I work with think the same way."

New England Culinary Institute hosts an evening with Chef Gavin Kaysen

Who
Chef Gavin Kaysen, International Award Winning Chef, and 2001 NECI graduate

What
Cocktail Reception, Chef's Demonstration, Hors d'oeuvres, Live Jazz, door prizes

When
May 3, 2007, from 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Where
The Inn at Essex

Why
All proceeds benefit the NECI Scholarship Fund

More Details to Follow
For more information, contact Jennifer McConnell at 802.878.1100, ext. 1345 or via email jennifermcconnell-at-neci.edu

Where Are They Now?


1986

Rebecca Corretti, Montpelier graduate, is in Birmingham, AL and
would like to get connected with her classmates! Rebecca-at-carrawaydavie.com

Craig Margulies, Montpelier graduate, is looking for his classmates. cjmarg-at-sio.midco.net

Robert (Bundy) Melioris, Montpelier graduate, is now in Salt Lake City, UT and very happy with wife of three years. She is a nurse in a long-term care facility and Bob is a combination chef/counselor in a rehab facility for teenage girls. Congratulations, Rob! robmelioris-at-msn.com (He still makes the biggest (and best) cookies in town!)

1988

Ray McCarthy, Montpelier graduate, is now a dad and residing in Florida. He just graduated from the University of Phoenix with his Bachelors of Science in Business Information Systems and is working for the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, FL, as a technical support specialist in their IT department. He has been at the Breakers for about five years, combining his hotel knowledge and computer skills to specialize in Point of Sales systems in hotels. raymccarthy3-at-gamil.com

1990

Marge Porter, Montpelier graduate, was an advanced placement student in 1989 after leaving the CIA program. She and her husband of 20 years live in St. Paul, MN, along with their three children, 9-year old twins and a 4-year old. Marge teaches recreational cooking classes a few times a month at a cooking studio called The Chef's Gallery in nearby Stillwater, MN. She also travels to her college alma mater in NC to teach a cooking class at the week-long Swannanoa School of Culinary Arts program in July. She volunteers much of her time with parent advocate groups on behalf of E-12 public education at the local and state levels. Marge states, "Besides using the excellent culinary instruction I received at NECI, Tim (my husband) and I still play Bocci in the style of Petanque as taught to us by Chef LeBorgne!"

Mack Williamson, Montpelier graduate, would like to hear from his old pals. mwilliamson-at-village-germantown.com. Mack is now living in TN.

Gerry Beck, Montpelier graduate, has been based for 17 years in New York City but is moving to London in April with his wife. He has worked for many years at Whole Foods Market in New York City and the company is opening a large store in London this coming summer. Gerry has accepted the position of Prepared Foods Team Leader, which is essentially the Executive Chef for Whole Foods! There will be a team of over 200 to hire and train just for the food service, a challenge Gerry is looking forward to. He states, "I wish I could get a boatload of NECI interns over there!" Congratulations, Gerry. gerry.beck-at-wholefoods.com

1991

Ben Lovell, Montpelier student, would love to hear from his classmates of long ago. bjahmon-at-hotmail.com

1992

Brian Flanders, Montpelier graduate, has recently moved ato Sylva, NC. He would love to hear from you. mjflanders1-at-verizon.net

Leslie Runser, Montpelier graduate, is looking to connect with classmates. willardbliss-at-verizon.net

1993

Jeffrey Graceffa, Montpelier graduate, would love to hear from his friends of old. thesecretstash-at-yahoo.com

C. Robert Lester, Montpelier graduate, is currently at Dartmouth College in NH where he operates Dartmouth's (and NH's) first Kosher/Halal restaurant called The Pavilion. The Pavilion opened its doors in 2001 shortly after the 9/11 attacks on NYC. This has proven to be a very popular experience for everyone, states Rob. c.Robert.Lester-at-Dartmouth.edu

1994

Krishnan D'Errico, Montpelier graduate, lives in MA, and is planning on starting his own personal chef business. He would love to speak with anyone who has done this. menaught-at-aol.com

Nick Agro, Montpelier graduate, was recently recognized by the Denver Business Journal 2007 as one of Denver's outstanding "Forty Under 40" for his work with Whirled Peas Catering and his commitment to the Denver community. Each year 40 outstanding professionals under the age of 40 are selected to this list in recognition of their business success and community contributions. Agro is the only catering professional on the 2007 list. He started Whirled Peas Catering in 2000 from only a $2000 investment. Nick is also a member of the Entrepreneur's Organization, a global community of business owners, all of whom run companies exceeding $1 million in annual revenue. Nick also runs a fix-and-flip company and is working on some other ventures he hopes to take public in the near future. The Food Network recently recognized Nick and his team for their creativity and excellence by filming a Whirled Peas-catered wedding for a special feature called "Fantasy Weddings." This program is scheduled to be aired in April 2007 and will feature a truly fantastic December 2006 wedding in Vail, CO, for which Nick and his team created unique menu items including dessert sushi - designed to look just like tradition sushi. Visit whirledpeascatering.com for more information. Congratulations, Nick!

1995

James Clark, Essex graduate, would love to hear from his fellow classmates. jameshc4-at-hotmail.com

Brenda Klein, Montpelier graduate, has become the Executive Assistant to the Chairman and CEO of a private equity firm called Belvedere Capital (belvederecapital.com). "My success in organizing my work is based exclusively on how I learned to prioritize at NECI. Other associates at work ask me how I am so efficient, and I teach them how I learned to multi-task at NECI. My hard-work ethic is very much what I cultivated while at NECI." So Brenda is no longer cooking professionally, yet shares that she and her husband eat "amazing meals" and she throws one heck of a dinner party because of "everything I learned at NECI, and my amazing mentors!" Brenda was in the last class in Montpelier's Tubbs and Elm Street Cafe restaurants and is currently living in San Francisco, CA.

Aimee Carlin-Clarke, Montpelier graduate, would love to hear from her former classmates. She just left Zebra's Bistro in Medfield, MA, after six years. She is now at Pastry Art in Walpole, MA, a wholesale dessert company that specializes in fresh desserts delivered daily to hotels, caterers, gourmet shops, etc. At Pastry Art she is the sales manager, with territory including southern Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and down to Mystic, CT. She's hoping to meet up with some NECI interns and alums as she travels around this route. On the personal side, Aimee is the proud mother of 3 boys, ages 11, 10 and 6, all being very busy with gymnastics, music and martial arts training! aimee_clarke-at-comcast.net

1996

Robert Haren, Essex graduate, has just moved into a new home. He wants to stay connected with his NECI family. robharen-at-yahoo.com

Carol Lenahan, Montpelier graduate, is in NH and would love to hear from her classmates. peaseporridgehot-at-adelphia.net!

1998

Lane Rowland, Montpelier graduate, is living and working in East Hampton, NY, and would love to stay connected with his NECI friends. lane_rowland-at-mac.com.

Betsy Parks, Montpelier graduate. After NECI's graduation, Betsy went on to slowly (her word) finish a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. She graduated in December 2006 from Castleton State College in Vermont and in February of this year, has been hired to be the new assistant editor of Brew Your Own and Winemaker magazines. Check them out at byo.com. Congratulations, Betsy!

1999

Dave Zablocki, Essex graduate, is now the Vice President and Executive Chef and Sorbet Sommalier of Wine Cellar Sorbets out of New York. The idea for Wine Cellar Sorbets came about while Bret Birnbaum and Dave (childhood friends) both recognized they were wine lovers and decided to brainstorm menu ideas for their wine bar/restaurant they hoped to open at some point in Brooklyn, NY. Dave and Bret now offer a wonderful combination of food and wine to wine lovers through restaurants and caterers throughout the country with 70 locations in New York and New Jersey, and continuing to spurt growth. Check them out at sorbetsommelier.com, we did and were very impressed! Congratulations, Dave!

Erica Hall, Montpelier graduate, would love to catch up with NECI friends at Erica-at-fromscratchbaking.com in Charlottesville, VA. Check out her business at fromscratchbakingco.com.

Alan Gamble, Essex graduate, is looking for his classmates...gamble_alan-at-hotmail.com

Flora J. Millsaps Deacon, Montpelier graduate, is currently residing in Alaska and would love to hear from her NECI friends. flora.deacon-at-gmail.com

Linda O'Connell, Essex graduate, would love to hear from her former classmates. linda8770-at-comcast.net

2000

Tracey Bilodeau Levesque, Montpelier graduate, shares she is now a mom to Ethan, a year old, and is getting married this June! Her fiance owns his own marketing company, so Tracey will be taking off a little much-deserved time this year. She was managing a bakery/bookstore/restaurant in Windham, ME, and does miss it. Congratulations, Tracey! traceybilodeau-at-yahoo.com

Paul Lagoe, Essex graduate, would love to hear from his classmates. lahose-at-aol.com

2001

Timothy Ridge, Montpelier graduate, is working as Sous Chef at the Boston Culinary Group for New England Aquarium in Boston, MA. He is working on ideas for promoting sustainability of fisheries and what chefs can do to help. tridge-at-neaq.org

Ryan Egebrecht, Essex graduate, is back! If you have been looking for Ryan, he has moved to Bozeman, MT from El Monte, CA, and changed jobs. He would love to hear from you. egebrechtr-at-yahoo.com

Jessica Raia-Long, Montpelier graduate, is married to Mike who works with a bio-medical company and enjoys two sons, Zachary, age 4 and Gabriel, age 1, along with being the Chef/Owner of The NoHo Bistro in Tampa, FL! Jessica is also the Executive Chef of Let's Eat Dinner, Inc. in Tampa. Their website for the Bistro is thenohobistro.com. Jessica and her partner have been developing a beautiful lunch/bistro menu and recently moved into their new location. They are a small, intimate 28-seat bistro in a slowly-gentrified part of Tampa called the Old West Tampa and are open for lunch. Yet scheduled for private dining in the evening and catered events off-site. Busy!

Chris Frothingham, Montpelier graduate, is Executive Chef at the Fish Club By Todd English, Seattle Marriott Waterfront, in Seattle, WA. Chris also did a James Beard dinner in January with Chef English. Check out his website at fishclubseattle.com!

2002

Reed Anderson, Montpelier graduate, is in Charlottesville, VA and would love to stay connected. reednanderson-at-gmail.com.

Rob Peabody, Montpelier graduate, is now in Las Vegas, NV, and says Hi to all! rob.peabody-at-gmail.com.

Lucy Damkoehler, Montpelier graduate, is currently in Seattle, WA. She has been working at Andaluca for the past six months as a pastry chef and will be going to Spain in October with her chef who is leading a tour, signing on as his assistant. Lucy recently returned from Alaska working at one of the lodges she used to work at for the Iditarod! There she met up with another NECI grad, Sara Spudowski ( NECI grad 2002) who is the head of a school there and also saw Chef Jeremy Storm (instructor at the Montpelier campus). Lucy is now also part-time teaching at the Blue Ribbon Cooking School in Seattle and assisted John Cox (NECI grad 2002) at the James Beard House in January.

Juan Zavala, Montpelier graduate, and wife Rhiannon Thalacker (former NECI employee) welcomed their second son, Juan Eduardo, big brother to Antonio Miguel, in June of last year. Juan recently took a position as Executive Chef with the Compass Group at Sierra Winds Retirement Community in Peoria, AZ. Congratulations!

2004

Sarah Natvig, Montpelier BA graduate and former instructor in Montpelier, announces the birth of daughter Sofi Mae Natvig, born January 30, 2007, weighing in at 7.3 lbs, and 20.5 inches. Mom and Dad and daughter are healthy and doing great. Congratulations Sarah! snatvig-at-hotmail.com.

Miichelle Parsons, Montpelier BA graduate, shares she moved to Boston to follow a career in catering and ended up working as an assistant retail sales manager for Catering By Andrew, in Brookline, MA. Things were good, but then Michelle decided to move on to grad school to obtain her Master's in Nutrition.

2006

Randy Morris, Essex graduate, is Food and Beverage Director at Middlebury Inn, Middlebury, VT. randymorris-at-gmail.com

Andrew Scoppetta, Essex BA graduate, is at home in Rocky Hill, CT. ascoppetta-at-yahoo.com

A short note from Sandy

All your emails, letters and phone calls make our days! Your successes and suggestions for NECI's future are celebrated by every one of us. You are the greatest recruiters for your school. You know what it takes. You know the passion and commitment that's needed. You are the pivotal point from which NECI grows, and grows and grows! If you have someone in your life, in your business, in your world, who would benefit from the training and education you received at NECI, NOW is the time to let us know. It just takes a moment to email us with a contact and there are rewards for you as well in doing so...so let us know!

Keep your contacts coming in, your successes shared with us, and let us know what we need to do to make your alumni office work for you!

sandywebb-at-neci.edu. I look forward to hearing from you soon!