Culinary Arts Education Program Director: Charles J. Delargy III

Program Director, Culinary Institute of Virginia Newport News Campus

A Certified Executive Chef accredited by the American Culinary Foundation, Chef Delargy brings with him nearly three decades of experience. “I began working in a family restaurant washing dishes when I was 12 and I can remember looking at the chefs in awe, and even then it was clear to me what I wanted to do when I got older,” he says.

Chef Delargy has enjoyed a distinguished career, having served as an executive chef at some of the finest restaurants in the United States, as well as the British Virgin Islands. For six years, he was Executive Chef/Owner of Delargy’s Bistro in Hampton, Virginia, an Italian restaurant that was consistently ranked among the top 50 in the Hampton Roads Region.

[Tweet “I began working in a family restaurant washing dishes when I was 12 and I can remember looking at the chefs in awe, and even then it was clear to me what I wanted to do when I got older”]

Why do you enjoy teaching?

“For me, teaching seemed like a natural progression. When you run a restaurant, you are always teaching. It’s incredibly rewarding to watch a student progress and improve over time. In the restaurant business, the best compliment you can get is when a customer tells you that ‘this was the most amazing meal’ they ever had. This same feeling of accomplishment happens when a student comes to you at the end of class and shakes your hand and says, ‘Chef, I want to thank you; I really learned a lot and enjoy this class.’”

[Tweet “When you run a restaurant, you are always teaching. It’s incredibly rewarding to watch a student progress and improve over time.”]

Please share an experience you had as a teacher that was especially memorable.

“There’s not one particular experience that stands out. But I have had numerous times when a graduate would come back to visit or call me and say, ‘You were right, what you told us, we really did need to know that.’ Over the years, I’ve had former customers of mine from when I had my restaurant who would show up at one of our Career Discovery Days to say hello. They would end up enrolling or enrolled their child because of how much they enjoyed my food.”