Nothing to Escoffier At

Houston has the third best culinary school in the country for 2025

Learn the secrets of French technique at the Culinary Institute LeNotre.

Culinary Institute LeNotre/Facebook

When people get good educations, the people around them usually benefit too. Sometimes you can feel it, but now Houstonians can taste it, with the local Culinary Institute LeNotre taking a top national ranking. The Houston campus was No. 3 on education review platform Niche's 2025 "Best Colleges for Culinary Arts in America" list, which included 131 schools in total.

Austin's Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts edged out the Houston school, snagging the No. 2 spot. The only other Texas college in the top 20 was the Texas State Technical College in Waco, which ranked No. 14 for its culinary program.

Students at the Culinary Institute LeNotre can choose from five main programs: three associates degrees in hospitality and restaurant management, culinary arts, and baking and pastry arts, as well as diplomas in the two culinary fields. Those with an interested in healthy eating can learn how to prepare meals designed to suit people with conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.

Niche's in-depth ratings are coveted in more general arenas, like public universities, where the University of Texas scored in the top 10 for 2025. The more niche disciplines (ironic, yes) are a bit broader in their grading, but what's important is how they stack up relative to each other.

The Culinary Institute LeNotre received a strong A rating in safety as well as a B-plus for campus and student life. Its C-plus in diversity refers not just to racial diversity, but also students from other countries, out of state, from different economic backgrounds, and more. The student life category encompasses basically any aspect of attending the school, including parties and the surrounding area.

The academics and location categories both eked out a C-plus, which isn't bad looking at the other schools on the list.

While the value gets a dismal D-plus, the professors earn a strong B rating. That grade reflects student surveys, which are the highest weighted factor, along with salaries, the student-to-faculty ratio, and awards received by full-time faculty, among others.

The top 10 Best Colleges for Culinary Arts in America, according to Niche, are:

No. 1: Escoffier School of Culinary Arts — Boulder
No. 2: Escoffier School of Culinary Arts — Austin
No. 3: Culinary Institute Lenotre (Houston)
No. 4: Walnut Hill College (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
No. 5: Johnson & Wales University — Charlotte
No. 6: White Mountains Community College (Berlin, New Hampshire)
No. 7: Johnson & Wales University — Providence
No. 8: Helms College (Augusta, Georgia)
No. 9: Monroe College — Bronx, New Rochelle
No. 10: Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park, New York)

The full list of 131 culinary programs is ranked at niche.com. More information on the Culinary Institute LeNotre is available at culinaryinstitute.edu.

What's Eric Eating Episodes 518 and 519

Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseheart joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center (2047-A West Gray St).

Monteith shares that he started the restaurant in 2017 in order to fulfill his vision of a restaurant which could serve food that’s fast, fresh, and affordable. A trained chef who operated pioneering Austin restaurant Contigo, Wiseheart joined the group to bring both culinary expertise and operational acumen to the grouping company.

Part of what sets Honest Mary’s apart is that diners can add cooked vegetables to the rice and proteins at the heart of every bowl. The “Market Sides” section includes an array of roasted vegetables — including sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, beets, and Brussels sprouts — as well as black beans, maple-glazed carrots, and green lentils. Bowls can be further enhanced with toppings such as Texas pecans, crispy chickpeas, goat cheese, avocado, and apples as well as sauces such as creamy poblano, cashew lime crema, sesame vinaigrette, spicy peanut, chimichurri and apple cider vinaigrette

Monteith explains that looking at the ingredients on display usually inspires him when he’s deciding what to eat at Honest Mary’s.

“I will almost always look at the line and see what looks fresh and good,” Monteith says. “Today, I got the salted kale with white rice. Then, I got garlic-pepper steak. I added on lentils — they’re my go-to in the winter. They blend everything together, and I love it Then Brussels sprouts looked green. I got some jalapenos. Avocados, cause that’s healthy. Then I got the chimichurri sauce.”

Honest Mary’s is also known for its hearty broths, a classic chicken and a vegetarian option made with seaweed and mushroom. Sandler raves about the chicken broth to Wiseheart, who shares how it’s made.

“We spent six or seven months testing recipes and drinking it ourselves to see if it’s a good idea,” Wiseheart says. “I talk about it as a great complement to the menu. It’s healthy. It’s really simple. Most of the kitchens I came up with were rooted in French cuisine. This is just chicken stock with salt in it.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more about Honest Mary’s plans for additional locations in Houston and Dallas. Then Monteith asks a Sandler a few questions about the Houston dining scene.

In this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Mary Clarkson discuss the news of the week. Their topics include Home Slice Pizza opening a new location in the Heights; the closures of Brett’s BBQ Shop in Katy and Killen’s Barbecue in The Woodlands; and Esquire including ChòpnBlok on its list of America’s best new restaurants.

In the restaurant of the week segment, the two friends discuss their recent meal at Hypsi, the Italian restaurant in the newly-opened Hotel Daphne. Listen to the episode to hear their favorite dishes and other thoughts on the meal.

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Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hear it Sunday at 9 am on ESPN 97.5.

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

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