Emeril Lagasse Foundation just announced $375,000 in grants for educational and summer programs in the New Orleans area. The programs supported include New Orleans Center for Creative Arts’ (NOCCA) culinary arts summer session, a new commissary meals program at Liberty’s Kitchen that will bring fresh, nutritious lunches to hungry local school students this fall, and a new social and job skills training project at Café Hope. Our contributions to children’s organizations now exceed $3.6 million!
This week, 16 local high school students began a summer session focused on the culinary arts at NOCCA. The program pairs Louisiana high school students with culinary faculty from Johnson & Wales University for a two week intensive program including lectures, hands-on cooking techniques, nutrition and culinary career exploration. Now in its fourth year, the summer session is part of the development leading up to the launch of a full four-year program in culinary arts at NOCCA in partnership with the Emeril Lagasse Foundation.