One of Louisiana’s most iconic chefs and restaurateurs is set to receive the University’s top honor at the fall commencement on Dec. 10.

Folse will receive a doctorate in commerce to recognize, not only his culinary achievements, but also the success of the John Folse Culinary Institute, which teaches students the art of cooking and how to be successful business men and women.

Chef John Folse, the namesake of the University’s culinary institute, grew up in a family of sugarcane farmers and was immersed in Cajun and Creole culture from an early age. This immersion aided Folse in explaining to the Board of Regents in 1995 that a culinary institute was vital to the area.

“I thought a curriculum in Cajun and Creole cuisine and culture would be, not only a very important course that could be offered to students, but because of the interest in the cuisine that was exploding all over the world, Nicholls State could very well be one of the great centers of culinary education specializing in regional cuisine of Louisiana,” Folse said.

It all began when former University President Donald Ayo stopped at Folse’s Lafitte’s Landing in 1995 on a particularly busy evening. Folse was teaching local cuisine to a group of chefs from Taiwan and a news crew was at the restaurant filming the event. Ayo inquired about the evening’s happenings and Folse explained that he had made a name for himself internationally as someone who was willing to teach the art of Louisiana cooking.

“They found that I
was receptive to training them and letting them into my restaurant,” Folse said.

Folse said Ayo suggested they think about incorporating cooking into the University curriculum and that  Folse began teaching community cooking classes every few weeks as a test run.

“We sat down and had a bowl of gumbo together and the conversations just continued around the possibility of doing something like that,“Folse said.

Folse said he wanted to incorporate the business aspect of cooking, as if every student were training to start his or her own restaurant. The Board of Regents understood this concept and the University became the first university to offer a four-year culinary degree in the United States.

Since the institute’s founding, Folse has remained an advisor to the instructors and is able to interact with students through CULA 279. This course, which Folse teaches in the fall and spring semesters, provides students with an understanding and appreciation of Cajun and Creole cuisine. 

“It’s very important that I teach that class because it’s who I am and what I do,” Folse said.

Receiving an honorary doctorate substantiates and celebrates the founding of the institute and all it stands for, Folse said. Because of the success graduates have had in a very tough industry like the food and beverage industry, he said the recognition brings the whole process full circle.

“I’m just really humbled by it all because its coming from a place that I love so much, that I spent many years at and I plan
to continue to be on that campus until I’m no longer able to walk there.”