Betsy Birdsall carefully puts the finishing touches on a flourless chocolate cake, perfecting a dusting of cocoa powder in the shape of a flower.

The smell of baking treats fills the kitchen of La Brioche Bakery & Café, run by New England Culinary Institute. It’s a warm spring afternoon, and NECI students are hard at work in the kitchens of the Montpelier school’s eateries.

“I’ve loved (NECI) so far,” said Birdsall, who hopes to be a restaurant pastry chef. “It’s small, so you are a person, not just a number.”

At a neighboring table at La Brioche, Tammie Hammond forms the shells for chocolate pecan tartlets, which she called “to die for.”

“It’s been wonderful,” Hammond said. “It’s all hands-on. You just jump right into work. It’s been really great, I have no regrets.”

Joey Buttendorf, chef of student advancement, said operating student-run restaurants where the kitchens are the classrooms sets NECI apart from other culinary schools. Students spend 80 percent of their time actually cooking for the restaurants, and 20 percent in lectures.

Along with La Brioche, NECI runs the Main Street Grill & Bar, Main Street Grill’s Lounge, and the cafeterias for insurance company National Life and Vermont College. It also has a special events and in-house catering company, Chef’s Table.

“For students that really want a hands-on experience, it’s the way to go,” student Aaron Lhamon said.

Lhamon, an Advanced Placement student, said he had already been working in the industry for seven or eight years, but NECI was “a whole new experience.”

NECI offers associate and bachelor degree programs, as well as a certificate program, all of which include internships. Buttendorf said earning a degree is becoming more important in culinary fields.

“Twenty years ago, you didn’t need it as much, but now its imperative,” she said. “With a degree or even a certificate on your resume, you’ll end up able to move around more freely than you would if you didn’t have one.”

Buttendorf added that pay levels are often capped for people without degrees, despite their skill level or experience.

She said the school’s certificate program may give students an edge, and help them figure out if they are going into the right field.

“It’s great for career changes or people who have always loved to cook, but aren’t quite sure if they want to make an actual commitment (to cooking professionally),” she said. “They can get their feet wet and come in to experience it for much less money.”

NECI has a 95 percent placement rate, Buttendorf said, and teaches students how to go out and secure a job.

“NECI students are so popular I think because they are so well-rounded,” Buttendorf said. “You want to be able to go in there and cook a steak perfectly, and make a cake for somebody’s birthday.”

Buttendorf said about 60 percent of the instructors are alumni, including herself.

“(NECI) had such an influence on us and was so amazing that we all decided we wanted to come back and give back what we learned,” she said. 

Buttendorf has been a chef for nearly 30 years, and said it is an extremely satisfying career.

“It’s about instant satisfaction, which is something that’s awesome,” she said. “You can cook something, give it to someone, and get that gratification back right away, which is very addicting.”

 

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