As you may already know, we have moved to our new location: 321 Lafayette Road in Hampton, NH. Here is a recent article posted on Seacoastonline.com.

Culinary school finds new home
Six-month fall training program begins soon
August 25, 2007 6:00 AM

HAMPTON -- Chez Boucher, a French culinary school in Hampton, will launch its Fall 2007 Professional Training Program in a spacious new education facility at 321 Lafayette Road (Route 1). Chez Boucher's expanded new teaching facility is designed specifically for hands-on culinary arts education and immersion in classic French techniques.

Space is still available for the school's six-month fall program, which begins Tuesday, Sept. 4.

The new Chez Boucher facility will offer students the space and resources necessary for active, participatory learning. In addition to featuring a new line of Wolf gas stoves and ovens, Chef Ron Boucher and his team have furnished the school with ample countertop work stations, seated teaching areas, buffet and dining spaces, and large pantry and refrigerated storage.

The school, which Boucher opened in 2003, is licensed by the state of New Hampshire and endorsed by the American Culinary Federation.

Chez Boucher is known as much for its hands-on learning as for its focus on meals prepared from scratch.

"At our school, we've adopted the belief behind the 'Slow Food' movement, which has at its core using as many natural, locally grown ingredients as possible," Boucher said. "In our condensed Professional Training Program, we want students to have a firm understanding of the process of cooking from scratch. We want them to know where their food and ingredients actually come from, and how they're grown."

The school's new, larger space was created from the ground up to give students the best possible environment for learning, and to prepare them for work in a busy professional kitchen, according to Boucher.

"Entering a professional kitchen for the first time can be intimidating," he said. "Our goal was to create an environment at the school where students can work in realistic settings and get used to the pace they'll face in professional kitchens when they enter the culinary work force."

Chez Boucher's program was developed by professional chefs with years of experience in the competitive culinary field. All Chez Boucher classes and practical training components are instructed and monitored by ACF-certified chefs. Students at the school learn everything from French cooking technique and safe food handling, to preparation and production procedures.

Participatory classes are taught four days a week, for six hours each day for 16 weeks in the school's kitchen. Students then are required to complete eight weeks of practical externship training in the professional environment of partnering area restaurants.

In addition, students attend and receive an eight-hour sanitation seminar certificate from the "ServSafe" program.

"The time our students spend in a professional restaurant kitchen during their externship weeks gives them 'real world' experience and responsibility," Boucher said. "That experience is important to future employers and gives our students a real edge in this demanding job market."

Financial aid is available. To learn more about the program, or to arrange a tour of the new facility, call 926-2202 or e-mail to info@chezboucher.com.

Boucher, a graduate of New York's Culinary Institute of America, has more than 30 years of culinary experience to his credit. He has been recognized by several prestigious organizations.

After earning his 1995 certification as an executive chef by The American Culinary Federation, Boucher was inducted into the American Academy of Chefs in 2001. The academy later presented him with a Presidential Medallion for dedicated service.

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