Private culinary school in Vermont that operated for 40 years before closing in 2020.
NECI offered multiple culinary credentials including Certificate in Professional Cooking, Certificate in Professional Baking and Pastry, Associate in Occupational Studies, and Bachelor of Arts degrees. The institute was accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges and provided hands-on culinary education. The school also operated several restaurants in Montpelier and provided food service for Vermont College and National Life.
The institute was founded on June 15, 1980, with the first class of seven students taught by Chef Michel LeBorgne. Enrollment peaked at approximately 800 students in 1999, but declined to 500 by 2015 and around 300 by early 2017. A second campus operated in Essex, Vermont from August 1989 through August 2009. The school closed in December 2020 due to pandemic-related economic pressures and discontinued all credit-bearing academic programs by summer 2021.
NECI produced several prominent culinary professionals and media personalities, including Alton Brown (host of various Food Network cooking shows), chef Gavin Kaysen (chef de cuisine of Cafe Boulud in New York City), entrepreneur Amanda Chantal Bacon, and chef Serigne Mbaye. The institution celebrated its 40th anniversary in December 2020 with alumni participation before its closure.