Top Chef Jerome Picca Joins GBCC as Chef Instructor in Culinary Arts & Sustainable Foodways Program
Program Offerings Expand to Include Culinary Evening Workshops
Chef Jerome Picca began working in kitchens at age 15, as an apprentice at a hotel in Pennsylvania. A few years later, he earned a scholarship to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.
While studying to become an artist, he continued working in restaurants. “And that is when I realized I could apply my art skills to cooking,” he said. “And that was my driving force to stay in the food business.”
Picca has achieved status as a top-flight chef, restaurant owner, and teacher. He recently joined Great Bay Community College as a chef-instructor in its acclaimed Culinary Arts & Sustainable Foodways 12-week training program.
The next course begins Feb. 17. Led by award-winning chef-instructors, the holistic curriculum integrates farm-to-fork sustainability, advocacy, and critical thinking about the role of chefs in food systems, while providing on-the-job training opportunities in the kitchens of Seacoast restaurants. Aspiring chefs learn foundational techniques while exploring food systems and how food choices impact personal health and the environment.
In addition to real-world experiences, the course includes field trips, guest lectures from professionals in the field, and career counseling to help students find the jobs they want.
For those looking for a shorter culinary experience, Great Bay is also offering a series of Culinary Evening Workshops, each taught by Chef Instructor Jerome Picca. A sample of the classes which each run from 5:30-9:00PM include: Soups, Stocks & Sauces, Hors d’oeuvres, Creative Meat, Vegetable and Grain Cookery, Homemade Pasta and Pasta
Dinners, Bread making and more. Courses are offered Thursdays March 5, 12, 19, 26; April 2, 9, 16, and 30th. For Course information and registration visit https://gbcc.coursestorm.com/category/culinary-cooking-workshops
Picca is a Culinary Institute of America graduate with years of experience as a chef and owner, in catering and event creation, culinary management and consulting, and education and mentoring. He has owned multiple restaurants, taught at the Culinary School of Washington D.C., and appeared on the Food Network and in numerous high-profile culinary publications and mainstream media outlets.
He teaches at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and has served as a culinary specialist for the New England Patriots.
A way of giving back
“This is my way of giving back. I have been working in the industry for 51 years, and I love sharing my experiences and knowledge,” Picca said. “There are not many opportunities to teach the culinary arts at the professional level in New England, and I love teaching. I fell in love with teaching culinary arts in Washington and have not stopped teaching, on and off, ever since. I found my passion for teaching early on, and once bitten by this bug, I never retired from it.”
In addition to teaching at the Culinary School of Washington, he developed a summer immersion program in the culinary arts at Wellesley College and has taught professional and recreation-level courses at every stage of his career. His first business, the catering company the Seasoned Chef, grew to five restaurants. He opened Small Plates, Tapas & Wine Bar in Harvard Square, and owned and worked as culinary director of Mighty Love Food in Boston.
He was executive chef at Sebastian’s Catering at the World Trade Center, executive chef and vice president at City Fresh Foods in Boston, and executive chef at Edson Hill Inn in Stowe, Vt. Early in his career, he was the executive chef for Harvard Dining Services, where he developed an informal culinary course and a popular workshop class.
“Chef Picca is a rare find in this industry because he has worked in every facet ranging from the rigors of the Culinary Institute of America to his entrepreneurial endeavors, and the high-pressure kitchens of professional sports as a culinary specialist more recently,” said Culinary Program Coordinator Jennifer Guptill. “Many chefs can cook, but Chef Picca is passionate about clean, plant-based cooking and functional foods that will be a great advantage to our program. Our program is rooted in sustainability and his commitment to farm-forward meals and his passion about the ‘why’ behind the food will provide a solid foundation for our students.”
Wealth of experience
Picca has a wealth of teaching experience and knows how to work with students at all levels, Guptill said. “He doesn’t just teach recipes, he teaches the science behind the food and shares his deep understanding of the science and chemistry of cooking. This high-level thinking provides a unique and sophisticated foundation that is rare in a 12-week intensive program,” she said. “Sustainability is no longer niche in our industry—it’s the future of food. Jerome provides a fresh perspective that will help our students stay connected to an industry that is demanding health, ethics, and environmental responsibility.”
He will serve as the lead instructor, and other instructors will focus on speciality areas. Chef Evan Mallett provides a master class in Whole Animal Butchery and the ethos behind nose-to-tail restaurant models, while Chef Matt Louis shares a wealth of business and first-hand knowledge associated with owning and running restaurants in the seacoast area.
Guptill said Picca’s technical training was particularly appealing to the search committee. “He shared that he could talk for hours about the science of food and has a deep passion for nutrition, all of which is a cornerstone of our program. When students see a chef of his caliber get excited about where our food is coming from, how to make it delicious, what these choices do to our bodies from a nutritional standpoint, it will have a serious impact on their future choices as thoughtful culinary leaders.”
Picca has witnessed many changes and evolutions in restaurants. It’s a different world today, he said. It’s intense, challenging, creative, and satisfying.
“I love the camaraderie, the creativity, and I love the frenetic energy of a busy kitchen. I also love the quiet times when no one is in the kitchen and I have it all to myself.”