New England Culinary Institute is proud to announce the promotion of Executive Chef Jean-Louis Gerin to Chief Operating Officer. Chef Gerin joined NECI in 2012, bringing a rich culinary background to NECI as a James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Northeast, 2010 winner of The Silver Toque, and winner of the Food Network’s television show ‘Chopped’ Challenge. Since his arrival at the school, Gerin has helped broaden the reach of the school, visiting high school tech centers throughout the Northeast, inviting noted chefs to the school to host dinners at the school’s flagship restaurant, NECI on Main, and expanding the influence of the school through his extensive culinary network
“Jean-Louis has been an incredible addition to NECI with his combination of skills and experience,” said Executive Vice President Dick Flies. “His culinary accolades are well known, but his business acumen, eye for detail, and systems development are pushing us forward into new areas of education such as sous vide and institutional food service training. The energy Jean-Louis brings to the campus is just infectious. This promotion is only a small reflection of the bright future we see every day at NECI.”
During his career, Chef Jean-Louis worked with world-famous chef Guy Savoy, following him to the United States and, in 1984, purchased Savoy’s Greenwich restaurant renaming it Restaurant Jean-Louis. He and his wife, Linda, operated this fine dining restaurant for nearly 30 years before making the decision to join New England Culinary Institute. In addition to his role as COO, Gerin also serves as the president of the l’Académie Culinaire de France.
“NECI has a history of training some of the best, most dedicated, and talented chefs in the country for the last three decades. NECI, our students, and other institutions of higher learning faced many challenges during the long economic recession, but the vibrancy and evolution of the food industry never slowed for a moment. This is an extraordinary moment in time for cuisine and for our students. Products, techniques, consumer awareness, and the food culture as a whole has exploded in the last ten years! I am confident that our purpose, our students, our faculty, and our direction will keep NECI at the leading edge of this culinary wave.”