Nearly two decades of planning and budgeting lead to Monday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the Chef John Culinary Institute that will cater to over 500 students in 33,000 sq. ft. of state- of-the-art teaching spaces.  
“It’s truly a day we have been waiting for, no doubt about it,” Chef John Folse said. “It’s hard to believe that it has been two decades of hard work and dedicated effort that has finally gotten us here.  No one can be more proud than I, standing here at the site of the future home of the culinary institute’s anchor building.”  
Once completed, the institute, near the front of campus off of Bowie Road, will feature four classrooms, each designed for a specific course such as meat fabrication, soups and sauces, pastry and baking, and a general skills classroom for elective courses in foreign cuisines.  
There will also be a bistro style restaurant with two dining rooms open to the public and a demo kitchen for community involvement where courses will be taught by instructors or visiting chefs on weekends during the fall and spring semesters.
Although there have been setbacks along the way, the new $12.6 million building will possibly begin construction by the end of May.  Through a public- private partnership, the state provided $8.1 million for the project, and Nicholls generated $4.5 million from fundraisers and donations collected over the years.  
 “There have been at least a couple of hurricane seasons, the oil spill, economic downturns, and a lot of different challenges to get us to this point in time,” University President Stephen Hulbert said.  “We are finally here, and we are finally going to build a building that will house this fantastic culinary institute.”  
Gov. Bobby Jindal spoke of the importance of Louisiana Cuisine as Chef Leah Chase, “the Queen of Creole Cuisine” and owner of Dooky Chase Restaurant in New Orleans, sat in the audience.  He said Louisiana was known all over the world for its culture and cuisine, and the culinary institute will provide students the opportunity to spread that message worldwide.  
“This new facility will help us in our mission to teach future generations about the art of Cajun and Creole cooking, and at the same time, it will also give students the tools to find job opportunities in the hospitality industry,” Gov. Bobby Jindal said.    “The institute also benefits companies within the hospitality industry who need a pipeline of skilled workers to fill jobs.  These are all reasons why we committed over $8 million to build this new facility and ensure that our sons and daughters have a place to come and carry on the rich culinary heritage that our ancestors started here in Louisiana.”  
Randy Cheramie, executive director of the culinary institute, said he was promised the building’s completion two years after he arrived in 1999 but has since seen the culinary program grow and expand to over 300 students in only 9,000 sq. ft. of space.
“Monday, March 4, 2013.  For many of us affiliated with the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute, it’s a long awaited, easily anticipated dream come true day – the groundbreaking of our new facility,” Cheramie said.