Knowledgeable and friendly staff. Extremely expensive for what you get. They charge you $8/night…read moreto sleep in your car on the property, in an abandoned parking lot. Food is moderately expensive but delicious and farm fresh, the cook Heidi rocks. The courses are around $700/week and move very slowly, with a large range of people all wanting different things. The property has a lot of junk on it and many of the buildings are half finished. So while the website depicts the school as an ambassador for green design, when you get there it is more of a hippie (for lack of a better word) center for building. If you're looking for something laid back and have the money to spend, it is a good time.

Yestermorrow is a great learning environment and mind-expanding atmosphere…read more I have attended three courses: from hands-on tools, to design & prefabrication, to business oriented. All three were a great source for knowledge and somehow life changing. The instructors practice what they teach on a daily basis and there seems to be no limit to what one can learn from them. The accommodations are very appropriate for the school size, courses, and crowd it gathers. My bunk bed was, twice, a smart choice, that gave me the chance to interact during and after dinner with different people. The food is super healthy, and delicious. I'm not vegan or that stuff, and I always had seconds. In case of going on a scheduled field trip, master chef Heidi will make sure you get a great lunch and even snacks. The staff are the most laid back, friendly, yet professional people. Classes and tours follow an appropriate schedule, and they adjust to follow to people with different backgrounds. I am a registered architect with over 20 years of experience, and I always felt the pace to be very comfortable. I look forward to my upcoming eight-day certification course!

For my 300th review, I thought I might pay tribute to the school responsible for educating me in…read morethe ways of the mother sauces, the primals and table service, not to mention chocolate, pastry, buttercream, coffee, croissant, danish, bread, garde manger, sausage, and tallow carving NECI is the unsung hero of culinary schools. Perhaps because it is based in distant Vermont, not many are familiar with it outside of New England. The school itself is housed in two campuses - one in Montpelier (pronounced "mon-PEE-lee-yur" not "mon-pel-yay") and the other in Essex Junction. I did something odd - I attended both campuses over the period I was in school there, and I received a great hybrid education from both. Unlike some culinary schools, almost every outlet at NECI is open to the public, except for the cafeterias for the students, which are staffed by first year students who are usually pretty inept in the kitchen. Imagine Hell's Kitchen. Now imagine those same people working in a cafeteria. Bound to be, uh, challenging. In Montpelier there's a bakery, a fine dining restaurant, and a grill/bar. Students who work these restaurants are basically experiencing trial by fire. I was at school for only a few weeks when I started working at the restaurants for $5/hour (in 1995 dollars). By the time I graduated, I had the opportunity to run the dining room at the Inn at Essex on Sunday nights. Good times. NECI really was great for a hands-on experience. Nothing I made went to waste, and every waking minute of every day was spent either in the kitchen or studying some sauce or another. Not one to burn the candle on both ends, I made the best of my time there, and took advantage of all the school had to offer. I interned with cheesemakers, restaurants, cafes, and bakeries. I learned a lot and had a pretty interesting time. Alton Brown was my classmate and later, after NECI, I appeared on his show (along with a number of other NECI graduates and faculty). I wouldn't have had that opportunity had I gone to J&W or CIA. One advantage of NECI's location is proximity to Montreal. WIth that great city so close by, a student attending NECI would be remiss to fail to visit. I have head that NECI has changed quite a bit since I was a student. The average age per student is declining, some of the restaurants have closed (NECI commons in Burlington, I have heard). But it is still a great place to be education. You just might need to be a little younger than I was when I entered (26 - which seems so young to me now!).

I had dinner at NECI for the second time this evening. The service was excellent. The waitstaff was…read morevery professional and courteous. A lot of effort was put into the presentation of the food; it was absolutely beautiful. Every dish looked like a picture from a magazine. That said, the food left a little to be desired. To start, we ordered the salad and the Beet Tartare. The salad was good, but nothing special. The Beet Tartare was good, but there was not very much goat cheese, and the capers really took away from the flavor of the beets. For the entrees, we ordered the swordfish and the maple duck. Both were very good. The dessert was not good. We ordered the Gianduja Mousse Bar and the Cranberry Almond Cake. The mousse was excellent but, it came on some sort of spice cookie that was not to my preference. The Cranberry Almond Cake was your typical coffee cake. We could not finish it. I will say that the price was right. They had a 3-course Prix Fixe Menu, so we each got a starter, entree and dessert for $27 apiece. The atmosphere was also nice. It was just the right temperature, the lighting was great, and the table setups were conducive to conversation. I wouldn't say that it was a bad experience, but I can't say that I would go back, either.

I think the programs offered and the teachers within this school are great.read more

Shout out to Tom in the Tech repair/sales department. He quickly identified a problem with my…read morelaptop, thereby saving the day! I highly recommend this place.

I got scammed I bought arctic air fan and they said it worked. I plugged it in and it did nothing.read more

Oxbow is home to a strange and wonderful disk golf course. It is an adventure to play for sure…read more There is a hole that goes up a ski slope! If you are a disk golfer this experience is not to be missed.

The wings are incredible! Fun bar, great friendly service. Great place to catch a game.read more

Ms. Jennings is empathetic and an excellent leader in every setting she is placed in. She leads by…read moreexample and inspires others to greatness.

A mix of southern-style culinary expertise and the warmest possible welcome. No reservations…read moretaken, and the number is a closely-guarded secret, but if you have local friends then keep asking until you get an introduction: it's worth the effort. Bring your own wine to share to make the hosts happy; after dinner, relax in the hot tub or play a few hands of bridge. Best in the valley.