Andreas Fleckenstein, coordinator of NECC’s Culinary & Hospitality Programs
Andreas Fleckenstein, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and Cornell University’s Hotel and Restaurant Administration Program, with over 25 years of experience in the culinary and hospitality fields, has been named coordinator of Northern Essex Community College’s Culinary & Hospitality Program.
In his new role, Fleckenstein will contribute leadership to the college’s culinary and hospitality center which is slated to open in downtown Haverhill in 2019.
Fleckenstein majored in Baking and Pastry Arts at the CIA and he started his career as a pastry chef, rising quickly to sous chef. While employed in the field, he began teaching at a local community college. Fleckenstein is an ACF (American Culinary Federation) Certified- Executive Chef and Culinary Educator (CEC, CCE), and has also earned the National Restaurant Association’s FMP credential (Foodservice Management Professional.)
He has taught culinary arts and hospitality at Cornell University, Purdue University, Central Piedmont Community College, Baltimore International College (Now Stratford University), and the Art Institute of Washington, and served as associate dean, Management, Marketing & Culinary Arts at Salt Lake Community College in Utah, and most recently, as executive chef and continuing lecturer at Purdue University in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
At Salt Lake Community College, he made it a priority to connect the curriculum with the needs of local business owners, which he plans to replicate at Northern Essex. “There’s a thriving restaurant and hospitality scene in this area, and I’m looking forward to working with local employers to help students gain the skills and confidence they need to succeed in this field.”
A native of Switzerland, Fleckenstein’s career has taken him across the United States and to Bulgaria, where he consulted for a culinary start-up. He’s excited to be back on the East Coast, and to be a part of creating a program from the ground up. “This position is a perfect fit with my skills and experience, and I welcome the challenge of being a part of and working with a professional team, building a new program.”
In addition to providing leadership for the building and opening of the new culinary and hospitality center, Fleckenstein will be responsible for developing recruitment plans, teaching courses, and creating internship pathways with local employers.
NECC currently offers an Associate of Science Degree in Business Management: Hospitality Option and is planning to offer a Culinary Arts Certificate program. Both programs will be located at “The Heights of Haverhill”, a 10-story, 65,000 square-foot luxury mixed-use development that Lupoli Companies is building at 192 Merrimack St in downtown Haverhill.
With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 60 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth. Each year, 8,500 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 2,600 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.
