New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA)

A beneficiary since 2006, NOCCA created a 4-year high school culinary arts program for aspiring chefs, the first of its kind in the country. In 2011, after 5 years of planning and pilot programs, the Emeril Lagasse Foundation Culinary Arts studio opened its doors. In 2014, the Emeril Lagasse Foundation Culinary Arts Center opened thanks to a $1.5 million pledge from the Foundation.