New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI)

New Orleans,
LA
(2017)

New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI)

Adult Education, College or Vocational Training, Community, Culinary Entrepreneurship, Vocational Training

The transformation of a failed arts center in New Orleans’ Warehouse District into a world-class culinary institute.

Investment

NMTC Amount: $18,820,000
Total Project Cost: $19,911,293

IMPACT

33 FTE jobs
57 construction jobs
93,000 sq. ft. of real estate

CDEs

Enhanced Capital, United Fund Advisors

Investor

Unknown

Voices from the Community

“This is what the New Orleans hospitality industry has always dreamt of.”

-Ti Adelaide Martin, who co-founded NMTC-financed NOCHI

The transformation of a failed arts center in New Orleans’ Warehouse District into a world-class culinary institute finally moved forward after closing on the financing needed to redevelop the historic 93,000 sq. ft., five-story building.

The New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute, or NOCHI, underwent construction, ;Enhanced Capital provided critical financing for the project through the federal New Markets Tax Credits and Louisiana Historic Tax Credits programs.

This new $32 million complex, including teaching kitchens, event space and a street-level café, provides educational programs in culinary and pastry arts as well as hospitality entrepreneurship through a partnership with Tulane University. The programs were designed for aspiring chefs seeking higher-wage jobs in their industry. Cooking and beverage seminars and classes ranging from knife skills to New Orleans cocktails also be offered for locals and visitors alike.

“This is what the New Orleans hospitality industry has always dreamt of,” restaurateur Ti Adelaide Martin, who co-founded NOCHI, told the Picayune. According to the newspaper, the project has been years in the making.

The former owner of the building collapsed under a mountain of debt in 2011. The newly revitalized NOCHI complex opened in January 2019.

To read the full story in The Times-Picayune, please ;click here.

MAP

Address: 725 Howard Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130

Census Tract: 22071013400

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