Cleveland Verdin
May 26, 2008
Dr. Charles "Chuck" Binford
May 28, 2008
An appreciation for Louisiana cuisine has prompted New Orleans retail and restaurant investor, Dr. Alton Doody, to look to expand Nicholls State University’s cooking school into a world-class culinary institute.
“Louisianans have a good history for its culture and cuisine,” Doody said. “The culinary institute [Chef John Folse Culinary Institute] at Nicholls is a good school and it should be promoted nationally.”
“It’s just a good thing to do,” he added.
The cooking school is currently housed in Gouaux Hall, a 4,000-square-foot building on Nicholls’ campus. Doody, the appointed culinary institute’s dean, said the facility does not have enough space to accommodate his five-year expansion plan.
“We are small at the moment but my job is to change that, and I believe I have the background and experience to get the job done,” he said.
Nicholls is in the process of purchasing a plot of land on Louisiana Highway 1 that will serve as the new Chef John Folse Culinary Institute in coming years.
However, in the meantime, Doody said the school is looking for other options, including possibly taking over the Bayou Country Club in Thibodaux, which is approximately one mile from the campus.
The move has been met with a lukewarm reception by local restauranteurs who fear the college would have an unfair labor and pricing advantage.
Nicholls President Dr. Stephen Hulbert released a statement Friday acknowledging that a new culinary institute is in the works on La. 1, but said it is years from being completed.
Hulbert also clarified the university’s initial inquiry into a deal with the Bayou Country Club. He said about two months ago, the country club’s president asked about having Nicholls’ culinary instructors and students manage its food and beverage operation.
“At this time, the Nicholls administration is exploring the viability of this proposal and the appropriateness of the university to enter into this type of endeavor,” Hulbert reported. “No final decision will be made without consideration of all interested parties both on campus and in the local community.”
The Bayou Country Club facility is an 8,000-square-foot facility and has a large commercial kitchen, considerable storage, three private function rooms, a small bar and small dining space, which can accommodate approximately 50 guests.
When asked about his plans for the culinary institute, Doody said, with administration approval, he has developed a plan to increase the number of students enrolled in the four-year program and the instructional classroom space.
Compared to some of the top cooking schools in the U.S., Nicholls chefs receive the same job offers as those students from the Culinary Institute of America, which is 50 times Nicholls size, Doody said.
“The students are professionals, and they have developed a good ethic and they are well prepared for the job industry,” he said. “I am excited about this job, the faculty and the students. It’s fun being surrounded by the students on campus.”
Doody was named the dean of the culinary institute this fall. Nicholls President Dr. Stephen Hulbert said in a release that the investor was appointed because, “he has both the professional qualifications and the industry experience to lead our culinary institute during is important phase of its growth and development.”
“He [Doody] is a credentialed scholar, a successful businessman, a community leader and someone who knows the culinary world firsthand,” Hulbert added.
Although the new dean doesn’t hold a degree in culinary arts, he does hold a bachelor’s degree in business from Ohio Wesleyan University, and a Master of Business Administration and doctorate in marketing and strategy from Ohio State University.
Prior to his Nicholls appointment, Doody purchased a 100-year-old Culinaria building on the 1500 block of Carondelet Street in New Orleans for $250,000 in the late 1990s. There, he opened a recreational cooking school. He spent more than $2 million renovating the 9,000-square-foot building that has since closed.
“I am not a culinarian in the classical sense of the word, but I have been invested in the food service industry with my sons [Chris and Rick Doody] for past 26 years. Together, we have built several restaurants from scratch,” he explained.
Over the years, the investor has put millions of dollars in redeveloping buildings. He co-founded several New Orleans restaurant chains including Bravo, Voodoo BBQ, Slice, Miyako and Coyoacan Cocina Mexicana.
He also served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, a professor Ohio State University professor, an author and in retail consultant firms.
“For the larger part, I have been a restaurant investor,” he said.
Since taking the job at Nicholls, Doody has relinquished all interest in his prior investments.
Nicholls State’s culinary school is considering a deal to take over the Bayou Country Club in Thibodaux. * File photo
