Ragonese Named to Head VGCC Culinary Program
Vance-Granville Community College welcomed Chef Ross Ragonese (pictured above) as the new head of its Culinary Technology program on July 29. The two-year Associate in Applied Science degree program, based at the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford, prepares students for entry-level professional positions in restaurants, hotels, catering operations, health-care facilities, schools and other institutions.
Ragonese said he looks forward to captivating the minds of his VGCC students. “In school, I enjoyed the instructors who were animated,” Ragonese said. “You have to make it fun. Once you’re captivated, you’re motivated to complete your projects and to move into a successful career.” He said that the job market for graduates is promising. “People always have to eat — worldwide,” Ragonese reminds his students. “There’s always a future in the culinary field, as long as you put your heart and soul into it.”
Ragonese was educated at the Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park, New York), Suffolk County Community College and the State University of New York at Farmingdale. He has more than 20 years of experience working as a sous chef, chef and executive chef for restaurants, catering businesses, a hotel and a hospital. From 1994 through 2007, Ragonese was the executive chef of The Meadow Club in Port Jefferson, New York. He moved to North Carolina in 2007 to enter the educational field, as head instructor for the culinary department at The Fletcher Academy, a private high school in Raleigh. There, he developed the curriculum and set up an externship with the Angus Barn restaurant. “The students got a good idea of what it’s really like to work in the commercial world,” Ragonese recalled. “It’s not exactly like it is on T.V.” Ragonese said that French and Italian cuisine are his favorites to cook and to consume. He also enjoys a good hamburger and steak fries. “Simplicity can be the key to success,” the chef said.
Ragonese and his wife, who live in Louisburg, have two children.
“We are excited to have Chef Ragonese leading our Culinary program,” said VGCC Dean of Business & Applied Technologies Bobby Van Brunt. “He brings a wealth of experience, excitement and energy, plus a desire to be the very best. Under his leadership, the Culinary program will be a real gem in this area of North Carolina.”
Ragonese’s first semester as head of the program will begin Aug. 19. For more information about pursuing a culinary technology degree, call advisor Herbert Washington at (252) 738-3228.
