$6,000 Scholarship for Online BA

The new online BA in culinary arts and restaurant management is a great way to continue your education. NECI is offering these fully-accredited online BA programs for those who would like to maintain their career and continue their  ducation at the same time.

A $6,000 scholarship is available for NECI students interested in this great opportunity. Why should you enroll now? Graduates of NECI degree programs are guaranteed acceptance.

• Your degree is yours in 24 months.


• Your education can be built around your life – there is no need to be online at specific times.

Enhance your culinary career with this scholarship while you still have the chance. Classes begin March 5^th, 2012 so enroll now!

The online bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts can give you and advantage in an increasingly competitive field. Those who enroll will gain valuable information on subjects such as sustainable practices and nutrition, and day-to-day cooking practices. Students also get great attention not often seen in online learning environments. The online student-teacher ratio is 10:1!

The online bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Restaurant Management will give you all the great insights you need to run your world right in your own home. This degree covers a wide range of topics from ethical and legal issues, to beverage management, human resources, accounting and financial analysis, to marketing theory and research. Students enrolling in this degree program are building a strong foundation to professionally manage in the hospitality industry.

The online program admissions page on the NECI website should be your first step in enrolling in one of these programs. See the flyer on the online BA program, and learn even more about the $6,000 scholarship that could be yours today.

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Earn Your BA in Culinary Arts Online!

NECI is now offering an Online Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts program which allows a working chef or food and beverage professional to pursue their degree while maintaining their home, career and family lives. This fully accredited online program is designed to complement previous college education and industry experience.

The very first day of course work you will begin learning the skills and techniques necessary for success from industry proven chefs and business faculty. Small, intimate learning environments provide personal attention while you participate in courses designed from the real world atmosphere of our live-production restaurants and bakery.

 Learn more about this online program…

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$6,000 Scholarship Available to NECI Alumni for Online BA Programs

Do you have a hot new idea for a food-based business? Have you ever considered becoming a food writer? Or maybe you've always wanted to open a restaurant of your own. If you answered yes to any of these questions or are interested in pursuing a BA in in Culinary Arts or Hospitality and Restaurant Management, now is the time to accelerate your career and open doors in the hospitality industry with a $6,000 scholarship if you enroll in one of NECI’s online 2012 spring terms.

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Where Are They Now - Brent Sloan BA Culinary 1994

Editor's note- A great source of pride within the NECI community are the success stories from among our thousands of graduates. An inspriring note recently arrived from Brent Sloan (1994), one of NECI's very first BA Culinary grads. Links and photos have been added, but it is otherwise word for word. Enjoy.

Things are well here in Houston, just a bit too hot even for our standards.

After selling my interest in Wine Works (Burlington) I moved to Houston and was working for a foodservice consulting group where I did a lot of work overseas, a good portion of that business in the Middle East.  My work was mainly with independent operators.  Most of my years before high school I lived overseas so I really enjoyed the travel.

Currently, I am co-owner of a neat business called Nos Caves Vin.  It's a private, off-site wine storage facility and lounge.  My partner builds custom wine cellars in homes and has for years.  We linked up about 3 years ago when we met through my uncle who is contractor in the area.

Our building is quite large, 10K square feet, to which half is devoted to large wine lockers.  Our smallest is 32 cases ($225 per month) and largest custom locker holds 4K bottles.  The room is always kept at 55 degrees and sensors throughout to notify us of any changes.

The 'other side' of our building is a self service lounge.  We provide the glassware, decanters, etc. and cool environment.  The lounge has loads of couches and private rooms, a cave look and feel, lots of other cool stuff.  It's all biometric entry so all you need is your fingerprint to get in to our building.  We have a wine retail license so we can clear purchases for our customers. We also accept FedEx / UPS deliveries of wine and place them in our customer's locker. We have weekly tasting events and many other wine related activities.  It's a really neat wine centric community.

We formally opened two years ago and we're building out our second location now.  We've been very happy with the way things have turned out.  With all the basements in VT, I doubt good wine storage conditions are as difficult to find as they are here in TX.  Plus, as I've learned, the storage business is great in that people move in and rarely move out!  The economy here in Houston has been pretty solid which has certainly helped.

We are in talks with a major investor who would like to help us grow more quickly in Texas.  We hope to conclude our meetings next week.  We have our eye on two more spots in Houston, then we'll work our way west to San Antonio and perhaps Dallas / Ft. Worth soon after.

We did have a large national storage company show some interest in having us work with them on adding a wine storage component to their business model but we didn't get far.  Nevertheless it was flattering they came to us and thought we were on to something.

I can honestly say the entrepreneurship classes I took at NECI have had such an impact on me.  As you well know, watching something develop from an idea to an accepted product or service people enjoy is pretty neat.

I'm not sure how often you come to Texas, but if you ever do please let me know.  There are NECI graduates in this town doing great things.

Take care and please send some of that cool Vermont air down here.

~Brent

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July Alumni Newsletter Excerpt - Where Are They Now?

On a quarterly basis, NECI reaches out to our diverse group of alumni with an update from the President, happenings from campus, alumni in the news as well as a "where are they now" component that highlights where some of the 6000+ NECI alumni are making waves. Here's the most recent addition, taken from the most recent edition of our alumni newsletter. Some links have been added so you can explore a bit deeper.

Where Are They Now?

Evan Randell (AOS, Culinary 2003) has opened a new restaurant with his brother, Justin in Farmingdale, NY. Positioned on Main Street in this Long Island town, Estelle’s Contemporary Smokehouse & Bar is serving fresh, seasonal foods including house-smoked ribs and chicken. They’re making everything in-house, right down to the croutons and sauces. They’re the only barbecue place in town, and with a large hickory smoker outside, it would be tough to walk away!

Brian Flanders (AOS, Culinary 1994) has taken on the role of Executive Chef at Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, VT. Brian will be responsible for the culinary aspects of the resort’s banquets, events, and weddings. Additionally, he will oversee culinary operations for the Coleman Brook Tavern at Okemo’s Jackson Gore Inn. Brian has most recently been at the Stone House Resort & Spa in Rhode Island, and is excited to be back in VT.

B.J. (William) Brown (AOS, Culinary 2001) opened Bistro by the Beach for the 2011 beach season in Spring Lake, NJ. The restaurant, located in the Sandpiper Inn, is serving 3 meals a day for the length of the summer. Following the busy summer season, he’ll change the menu to reflect what is available fresh and locally. He and his wife will be running the show, with their son often seen running around.

Carmen Allen (AOS, Culinary 1985) has joined the Admissions staff here at NECI. Carmen will be our Visiting Chef to high schools in Maine, Vermont & New Hampshire to help in our recruiting efforts. She will be spending minimal time on campus in Montpelier, so let us know if you’d like her to come visit!

Fawn Wells Maxfield (AOS, Culinary 2001) has moved into the role of Catering Manager at NECI. Fawn has been an Event Coordinator in our Catering Department for the last several years. Her seemingly tireless nature makes her an ideal person for this role. She will be working with Kevin O'Donnell to solicit further catering opportunities as well as maintaining and improving existing relationships.

Terrence Gallivan (AOS, Culinary 2005) has formed the Pilot Light Restaurant Group with fellow Chef, Seth Siegel-Gardner in Houston, TX. While they’re still in the market for a bricks & mortar restaurant, they’re starting small by presenting three five-course meals at Houston’s Revival Market. The partners plan to focus the Revival Market’s fresh produce and high quality meats for their series of dinners at the local dining spot.

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Smolak Farms Whim Dinner - Featuring NECI's Chef Tom

New England Culinary Institute's Executive Chef Tom Bivins will be in the Boston metro area bringing NECI's unique fare to Smolak Farms in North Andover, Massachusetts on Wednesday, August 10 at 7:30 p.m. The event will raise money for the NECI Scholarship Fund and is part of their weekly Whim Dinner Series featuring a new chef every week throughout the summer. Attending is a great way for alumni to support NECI or for prospective students to get a taste of what we teach - and the setting is stunning! Tickets are $60 pp and are available on the Gilt City website.

According to their website:
Smolak Farms of North Andover, Massachusetts combines agriculture, education, and entertainment. The land was carved by glaciers, settled by prehistoric Indian tribes, colonized by English settlers and now farmed by the product of the wave of European Immigrants. Parts of the historic homestead are about 300 years old. Today the descendants of Martin and Magdalenna Smolak and their son and daughter-in-law, Henry and Helen Smolak, continue to farm one of the most progressive and beautiful farms nestled in the hills of northeastern Massachusetts.

In 1982 the Smolak Family preserved 107 of the 160 acres in cooperation with the State of Massachusetts Agricultural Preservation Restriction Program, insuring that this area would forever remain open land, never to be developed.  For the past 35 plus years, H. Michael Smolak, grandson of Martin Smolak, has overseen the development of the farm from a dairy farm to the extraordinary farm that it has now become.

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2011 Graduating Classes and Sounds of Alton Brown (Video)

Attendees enjoyed over 20 minutes of entertainment and wisdom from esteemed alumnus Alton Brown at New England Culinary Institute's 2011 commencement ceremony on June 4. Check out this video for a select 3 minutes of audio from his address and be sure to watch for your graduate of choice as they arrive for their big day. Congratulations to the classes of 2011!

Did you like this video? Share it on twitter or facebook!

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Congratulations to the 2011 NECI Graduating Classes!

Thanks to all of the attendees, students, faculty, organizers, distinguished guests, National Life and Mother Nature for a fantastic commencement weekend!

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In Memoriam - Sandy Webb

It saddens me to report that Sandy Webb passed away at her home on Monday, May 23 after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Her family is planning private services.

Sandy began her relationship with the faculty, staff and students of New England Culinary Institute nearly 30 years ago when she was hired as the administrative assistant to key management. By the time she left in 2007, she was coordinator of student and alumni relations. Thousands of students passed through the kitchens of NECI during Sandy’s tenure. It is very probable that most of them were touched by her kindness and certain that many benefited from her ready ear and helping hand. A good number of alumni remained in contact with Sandy after she retired. She greatly appreciated the calls, cards and letters she received during her illness.

We have learned that Sandy asked that anyone wanting to make a donation support the Central Vermont Humane Society. They can be reached through their website at cvhumane.com.

A special NECI scholarship has been created in Sandy’s name. People interested in donating to the fund in Sandy’s memory can make donations through the NECI website. Contributions should be made to the NECI Scholarship Fund, Inc., in Sandy’s memory.

Messages of condolence can be sent to Mr. and Mrs. Jason Webb at 1636 Hill Street Extension, Berlin VT 05602.

— Fran Voigt

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Upgraded Facebook Group Reconnects NECI Alumni

There's three pieces of news in today's post. You can pick and choose what you like. Dare I say this post is a la carte.

If you manage a Facebook Group you can avoid it being archived without much trouble. I'll give you the solution.
In doing so you may rekindle the ties that brought everyone together in the first place.
If you are lucky (I was lucky) you might also stumble onto a cool topic for today's blog post. It's cheese.

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Zach Calkins - VP of Culinary Creations at Quiznos

How does a national sandwich chain like Quiznos arrive at their menu? Hear from Zack Calkins, who is their VP of Culinary Creations.

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Our 2011 Commencement Speaker: Alton Brown

NECI is pleased to announce that the Commencement Speaker for this year's Graduation will be nationally-known television personality and NECI Alumnus Chef Alton Brown.

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Kelly Farrin crowned Maine Lobster Chef of the Year

NECI graduate Kelly Farrin (AOS Culinary Arts 2008) has been acclaimed the 2010 Maine Lobster Chef of the Year. Kelly won over the judges with his Herb Grilled Maine Lobster Tail on Arugula with Chive Ricotta  Gnocchi & Corn Milk. He was awarded his title by the Maine Lobster Council at the Harvest on the Harbor Festival in Portland, Maine, on October 23. Kelly is Sous Chef at Asure Cafe in Freeport, Maine.  Congratulations Kelly!  Check out the press release!

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