Culinary Institute LeNôtre
Culinary Institute LeNôtre (CIL) in Houston, Texas, USA, is a close-knit community that aims to train and welcome the culinary experts of tomorrow into its international family of renowned chefs and hospitality workers.
History
General Presentation
The Institute was founded in 1998 by third generation French Chef Alain LeNôtre and Marie LeNôtre. While LeNôtre is known worldwide for its French cuisine, Culinary Institute LeNôtre is not limited to only one regions’ traditions. Students may study both classic and contemporary culinary methods, learn to prepare global dishes, and expand their knowledge of various topics related to the culinary arts including nutrition, management and menu development.
Academics at the school include four diploma programs and three associate degree programs with the option of specialty electives such as Hotel, Hospitality and Restaurant Management, LeNôtre Sommelier or Advanced Artistic Skills of Pastry Decor.
The fame of the Culinary Institute LeNôtre grew from the success of its intensive hands-on training, small class size, and classic and innovative teaching from internationally experienced chef-instructors. CIL has five starts a year and schedules are adaptable to each student’s needs. For example, evening Lab classes are offered to students who may work during the day. Students who complete a FAFSA may be eligible to receive financial aid through federal grants and loans as well as through institutional scholarships based on merit and need. CIL also provides free language classes for international students or for anyone who would like to perfect language skills.
Culinary Institute LeNôtre offers unique fast-paced courses. In as little as 50 weeks, students will receive the training necessary for a Culinary Arts Diploma, while those seeking an associate’s of applied science degree in Culinary Arts or Baking and Pastry Arts can complete their studies in just 80 weeks.
Culinary Institute LeNôtre is located in Houston, Texas, near numerous fine dining and shopping complexes. It also has great on campus features such as an on-site gourmet restaurant, Kris Bistro & Wine Lounge, as well as an Organic Garden providing unique community bounds and garden to plate opportunities.
As part of their curriculum, CIL students also have the opportunity to do their externship in France for the summer if they qualify. Additionally, numerous field trips are organized year-round like the Culinary Study Tour to discover a Region’s gastronomical assets.
Culinary Institute LeNôtre provides lifelong career assistance that prepares students for professional opportunities such as opening their own business whether it is a restaurant, a bakery, a catering business or a food truck. In 2014, according to the Texas Workforce Commission, the Culinary Institute LeNôtre had the highest employment rate among culinary schools in Texas.[1]
Culinary Institute LeNôtre has currently over 350 active students and employs 14 full-time Chefs-instructors.
"I claim that we change lives because I notice so much change in our students’ personalities after they spend 20 to 30 weeks with us. They develop their artistic talents, they have more self-esteem, they make many friends, and they plan ahead for their professional career. Some like our school so much that they stay longer than their studies require, doing volunteer work as assistant-instructor, for example. Students that we send for an internship to restaurants in France also come back as a different person", Alain LeNôtre says.
Culinary Institute LeNôtre hosts Kris Bistro and Wine Lounge whose, "purpose is to give students the experience of working and serving at a restaurant before they head out into the real world."[2]
Kris Bistro & Wine Lounge is a modern French bistro supporting and showcasing local growers, local artists, French wines and aspiring chefs. Kris Bistro is a collective effort between Mr. Alain LeNôtre and Chef Kristofer Jakob.[3] They envision the restaurant to be a training center for students to build real-time kitchen speed and restaurant organizational skills under experienced Executive Chef Kris Jakob.
"I had one of the most exquisite meals the other week when his restaurant -- an incubator for budding young student chefs at the school."[2][4]
LeNôtre Family History
Who are the Founders of Culinary Institute LeNôtre? Alain and his wife Marie own the Culinary Institute LeNôtre.
Alain LeNôtre
Alain is a certified pastry chef, candy maker and ice cream maker;[5] he was also trained as a cook at the Grand Véfour, a famous 3-Star Michelin Restaurant in Paris. He has over 40 years of experience and earned an executive MBA from the University of Paris I. Alain also comes from a famous Parisian family.
Thirty years ago, he created the chef school École LeNôtre in Paris, France, one of the world’s best retraining schools, where he taught for a number of years. He developed the international LeNôtre pastry shop franchise and technical assistance departments, expanding the LeNôtre chains in Japan, Germany and Brazil while also helping his parents’ business become the number one caterer in France. After receiving a request for a franchise in Texas, Alain and Marie were invited to visit Houston, Texas in 1981. Ultimately they started their own business there, first with a retail and wholesale bakery.[6][7]
In 1998, they opened an international cooking and baking school for career seekers, career changers, food enthusiasts and also for continuing education.[8] As their fame was spreading they were asked to franchise their "Know How" in the Middle East. There are now 10 "Alain LeNôtre" restaurants and bakeries in Cairo, Egypt. Alain LeNôtre’s motto is: "Tradition, quality & respect." He chose the word tradition because he is the 3rd generation of chefs in the LeNôtre family.
– From the Founder of Culinary Institute LeNôtre, Alain LeNôtre.
"I inherited the love of cooking and baking from my parents and grandparents. My grandmother, Eleonore, was among the first French woman chefs in the 1900’s. She was the private executive chef for the Baron Rothschild family at their residences in Paris and Bordeaux. My grandfather, the elder Gaston Lenôtre, was chef of the Grand Hotel. In the big city of Paris, when Gaston and Eleonore discovered they were both from the same small village of Normandy, it was love and they married. They had two boys, my father Gaston and my uncle Marcel.
Gaston was born in 1920 in the province of Normandy, known for Calvados Brandy, cheeses (including Camembert), and the Mont Saint Michel Monastery. As a child, Gaston loved to play soccer, but he spent his teenage years after school working in bakeries and kitchens. This ethic of hard work paid off later on when, with my mother Colette, Gaston made the LeNôtre name famous in Paris. He liked to work with his family members which at one point included twelve of us. This includes the third generation of Lenôtre chefs, which are my cousin Patrick Lenôtre (who helped found the Culinary Institute LeNôtre) and myself. So there was no escape for the next generation of LeNôtres. My wife Marie and I, along with my sisters, Sylvie and Annie, have continued the family tradition of fine cooking and baking.
Gaston Lenôtre was admired as a living Antonin Caréme (1784-1833) or as a modern Auguste Escoffier (1846-1945). He was certainly the contemporary world’s most famous French Pastry Chef and caterer. Gaston learned from the old masters, but he also rejuvenated them. By doing so, he altogether rejuvenated the French Culinary Arts.
In addition to his incredible taste and professional "Savoir Faire," Gaston made many bold moves. Among his list of firsts are the first chain of upscale bakeries in Paris, a bakery-café bistro in the first French shopping mall, the first central kitchen in the country outside of Paris, the first professional French re-training chef school, the first line of frozen desserts distributed all over France, and he developed the first International bakery franchises (now in a dozen countries including Germany, Japan, Hong Kong and Kuwait).
My father wrote nine recipe books with my sister Sylvie that have been translated into English, German and Japanese and have sold close to a million copies. He also was the official caterer of the Soccer World Cup in France in 1998 and of the French Olympic team in Sydney, Australia. He catered for presidents, kings and celebrities all over the world.
In his final years, my father enjoyed a well deserved retirement at his hunting ranch in the Loire Valley. I went with my wife (Marie) and my son (Gaston) to visit him in his last moments. Together we made apricot jam, watched the wild ducks on his lakes, picked mushroom chanterelles in the nearby woods and cooked them for dinner."
Marie LeNôtre
Marie LeNôtre was appointed Director of the Culinary Institute LeNôtre in 1998. Marie has a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Houston, a bachelor's degree in Drama from the University of Athens, Greece, a master's degree in Public Health Education from the University of Texas, and a master's degree in English and Creative Writing from the University of Houston.
In 2001, Marie LeNôtre, with a group of philanthropist socialites in Houston, created the Culinary Endowment & Scholarship, a Texas non-for-profit organization that raises scholarship funds for underprivileged students who aspire to a culinary career. 100 tuition scholarships have been disbursed so far to such students after many charity galas and the support of many generous friends. Marie was the 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 President of the Houston, Texas Chapter Les Dames d’Escoffier, a society of professional women of achievement in the food and beverage industry. She was honored by the French Government with The Order of Merit at an event officiated by Chef Daniel Boulud.
Programs
The Institute offers Diplomas and Associate of Applied Sciences Degrees:
- Elite Diplôme de Cuisine
- Elite Diplôme in Culinary Arts
- Elite Diplôme de Pâtisserie
- Elite Diplôme in Baking & Pastry Arts
- A.A.S. Degree in Culinary Arts
- A.A.S. Degree in Baking & Pastry Arts
- A.A.S. Degree in Hospitality and Restaurant Management
The Institute offers a choice of Electives to choose from in certain programs:
- LeNôtre Sommelier (Wine studies)
- Hotel
- Management
- LeNôtre Artistic Skills of Pastry Décor
Students have the option of completing non-degree seeking seminars and get a LeNôtre Sommelier Certificate or a LeNôtre Advanced Artistic Skills of Pastry Décor including studies in French Chocolate Showpieces, Sugar Showpieces and Cake Décor.
Location
The Culinary Institute employs French-trained Chefs who have more than 10 years experience in the field.
Culinary Institute LeNôtre has a 'North (Main) Campus and a South (Facility Expansion) Campus. The North Campus is located at Allensby, Houston Texas and the South Campus at 3910 North Freeway, Houston Texas.
Culinary Institute LeNôtre's North Campus is located in a 28,000 sq.ft. two-story building constructed of reinforced concrete. The first floor houses four Cuisine labs, pantry, the Boutique, an amphitheater and restaurant for a la carte student training, student lounge and faculty offices. The second floor houses two Cuisine kitchen labs with commercial grade equipment in all instructional areas, student locker rooms, student lounge, a conference room and a dining area for students, faculty, and staff to have their food presentation and tasting.
Culinary Institute LeNôtre's South Campus is located in a 10,000 sq, ft. one-story building. This building houses administrative offices, student cafe and five academic classrooms. A conference room, student computer room and study area in the Learning Resource Center.
External links
- CIL Official site
- French father site - LeNôtre
- Gaston LeNôtre wikipedia page
- LeNôtre legacy
- Les Dames D'Escoffier, Houston
- CIL Facebook page
- CIL Instagram Page
- CIL Twitter page
- CIL Pinterest Page
- CIL Google+
- Gourmet Restaurant Kris Bistro & Wine Lounge - Official Website
- Kris Bistro Facebook Page
Notes
- ↑ "Accredited Postsecondary Programs". American Culinary Federation. © 2015 American Culinary Federation. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- 1 2 "CHEF CHAT, PART 1: KRIS JAKOB OF KRIS BISTRO, ON GROWING UP IN TEXAS'S GERMAN COUNTRY, AND THE ART OF CURING SAUSAGE". Houston Press. ©2015 Houston Press, LP. All rights reserved.
- ↑ Madan, Stephanie (2011-10-11). "Kris Bistro & Wine Lounge". My Table's Sidedish. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ↑ Ambrose, Amber (2011-10-12). "A Look Inside the Newly Open Kris Bistro & Wine Lounge". Houston Eater. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ↑ Reichl, Ruth. Remembrance of Things Paris: Sixty Years of Writing from Gourmet (Modern Library ed.). Condé Nast Publications, Inc. p. 100. ISBN 0-679-64309-5. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ↑ Mathieu, Gaétan. "Alain Lenôtre, l’ambassadeur du goût français au Texas". http://www.france-amerique.com/. Copyright © 2014 FrancePress, LLC. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ↑ Cook, Alison (May 1984). "LeNotre: Shameless Pastries, Mythical Chocolates, Shocking Sorbets". Texas Monthly (Emmis Communications) 12 (5): 171. ISSN 0148-7736. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ↑ Morgan, Kim (November 4, 2011). "Love story: Marie and Alain LeNôtre met and fell in love in Paris". http://www.chron.com/. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
Coordinates: 29°49′25″N 95°22′43″W / 29.8236°N 95.3786°W