Culinary Arts Center

Culinary Arts Center

The Story of Ruth

Ruth on John Folse

John Folse on Ruth

Cooking with John & Ruth

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The Ruth U fertel Culinary Arts Center

The Ruth U. Fertel Culinary Arts Building will be erected on the Levert Campus of the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux It is designed to extend and perpetuate the culinary heritage that has stretched from Louisiana across the globe, a heritage in which Ruth Fertel has played such an important role.

"Every day for decades, my mother demonstrated her energy, efficiency, persistence, willingness to take risks, dedication to the finest quality ingredients and devotion to her staff and her customers," said Randy Fertel, president of the Fertel Foundation and Ruth’s son. "With no restaurant experience, she took a risk on Broad Street that paid off in becoming the most successful upscale steak house franchise in the world."

Before her death at age 75 in 2002, Ruth indicated her desire that her legacy continue through the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute. Within two weeks, plans were underway for the Ruth U. Fertel Culinary Arts Building.

The new building will be the anchoring structure of the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute, which opened in 1994. The institute will relocate to La. Highway 308 directly across from the entrance of Nicholls State and adjacent to the university ’s newly acquired Rienzi Plantation.

Groundbreaking for the multi-million-dollar project was held on Ruth’s 76th birthday – Feb. 5, 2003. The building will contain a student-operated restaurant, six kitchens and a commissary.

The university is seeking other benefactors for naming opportunities within the facility.

The Chef John Folse Culinary Institute enrolls 221 students from throughout the country and around the world and is the fastest growing program on campus. Dedicated to the preservation and advancement of the rich culinary heritage of Louisiana, the institute emphasizes the study of classical and regional cuisine as well as culinary operations and training. The institute offers both an Associate of Science degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Arts; the latter was the first of its kind in a public university in the United States. A Master of Culinary Arts program is now in development, the first at any accredited school in the nation.

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