SUSTA — International Chefs Training Program
| Some say cooking is a universal language.
Since the summer of 2000, the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute has served as a testament to how food can bring people together from around the globe. The institute serves as the home of an international training program that represents 15 southern states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. |
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| Chefs come from as far away as India, Russia, Hungary, Mexico, Thailand, Canada and Croatia to participate in this two-week fellowship program sponsored jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Southern United States Trade Association.
The objective of the SUSTA Food Utilization Program is to introduce food products of the Southern United States to chefs from around the world, thus creating foreign demand for our catfish, pecans, cane syrup, crawfish, hams, seasoning blends, Mississippi blueberries, Creole tomatoes, Texas salsas, Vidalia onions from Georgia, and more. |
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After arriving at Nicholls, chefs attend lectures and hands-on demonstrations on topics such as:
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The experience allows chefs to create dishes they’ve never attempted before, with the hope that they will promote Southern cooking when they return to their homeland. At the end of the week, participating chefs are asked to prepare their traditional dishes with southern U.S. ingredients. The institute’s faculty and students learn about world cultures and cuisines by interacting with these international chefs. “We look forward each year to building new friendships, and expanding our worldwide network of resources for cross-cultural exchange.”
SUSTA 2007: Caribbean Chefs Train at Nicholls State UniversityThe Chef John Folse Culinary Institute hosted twelve chefs from the Caribbean from July 28 to Aug. 11, 2007. The chefs hailed from Aruba, The Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten. SUSTA 2008: Chefs from China to Visit Nicholls State University |