FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

Applicants must prove that the subject has made a significant impact on American food and beverage culture.  Examples of what makes a subject significant to America’s culinary heritage include:

1. The subject is associated with the origin of what may be considered a distinctly American food or beverage or an American take on a food or beverage.

2. The subject is associated with the origin of or is well-known for a specific regional food or beverage.

3. The subject is associated with a traditional and/or uniquely American way of preparing food or beverage.

4. The subject was the first and/or longest continuously-running culinary establishment of a particular type (restaurant/store/farm/factory/mill/etc.) in the United States.

5. The subject is associated with a major American culinary brand.

6. The subject altered or impacted the ways in which food or beverage is produced, distributed, or consumed in the United States and the world.

To nominate a subject for the National Culinary Heritage Register, submit a completed application and $45 application fee to Culinary Research center at Nunez Community College, 3710 Paris Rd. Chalmette La, 70043. Checks should be made out to the National Culinary Institute. After we have received the nomination, the applicant will be sent an email confirmation of receipt. 

The subject will be added to the National Culinary Heritage Register’s online database, and the applicant will receive a certificate.  Additionally, if the Register subject is associated with a physical site, the applicant may opt to purchase a commemorative plaque.  While we cannot supply plaques, we do provide a design and phrasing template that we ask applicants to use when ordering a plaque.