NSU culinary partners with Delgado

Nicholls State University and Delgado Community College have partnered to make it easier for culinary students to cross-enroll at each institution.

The agreement makes it easier to transition between Delgado’s two-year culinary program where student learn technical skills, and Nicholls’ bachelor’s degree program where students build on those skills and learn about business and restaurant management.

The John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls is a unique because it is Louisiana’s only university to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in culinary arts.

“The agreement is an indication of Nicholls’ support of recent educational and industry partnerships in New Orleans, and it will help establish south Louisiana as a premier international culinary and hospitality hub,” said Al Davis, dean of university college. “We have a lot in common with the New Orleans area, and our program, which completes the educational picture, is less than an hour’s drive away.”

The agreement also paves the way for online classes to be developed for culinary students through Nicholls Online and the Delgado Community College Distance Learning Program. Faculty at each institution will work together to share resources and build a “culinary education destination.”

Nicholls’ culinary program has reached its maximum capacity for enrollment at 300 students. As the demand for the program continues to grow, the culinary school is building a $12.6 million facility scheduled to open by spring 2015, which will create space for an additional 300 students.

“We are looking for students who want to continue their culinary education and develop the skills that will allow them to succeed at the next level,” said Randy Cheramie, executive director of the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute.

The new 33,000-square-foot facility will be equipped with four teaching kitchens, a demonstration kitchen and a dining room devoted to LeBistro, a fine dining restaurant operated by culinary students.

With the agreement, scholarships will also be established for Delgado students to advance from their associate’s degree toward a bachelor’s degree at Nicholls.