Leslie Eckert

The apprenticeship chain behind Leslie Eckert runs through Art Institute of Pittsburgh and South University, where formal study gave structure to a career split between pastry production and teaching. That combination shows up early in her work: technical discipline on one side, classroom patience on the other. At The Art Institutes, Eckert held overlapping roles that mapped a steady climb through culinary education. As Pastry Culinary Instructor from 2007–2014, she taught the methods and standards of the pastry kitchen. As Executive Pastry Chef, educator, Higher Education Professional from 2007–2018, she extended that work into broader program and institutional responsibility. By 2014–2018, her role as Culinary Director placed her in the position of shaping both instruction and direction, with each title reflecting a larger scope of practice than the one before it. Since 2019, Eckert has served as director of Culinary Arts Programming - Great Lakes Culinary Institute of Northwestern Michigan College, bringing that accumulated experience into Traverse City, Michigan. The work sits at the point where technique, curriculum, and leadership meet, and her role has been to hold those parts together in a program with reach beyond its immediate campus. - Director of Culinary Arts Programming - Great Lakes Culinary Institute, Northwestern Michigan College, Buckley, Michigan, United States (2019–present) - Pastry Culinary Instructor, The Art Institutes (2007–2014) - Executive Pastry Chef, Educator, Higher Education Professional, The Art Institutes (2007–2018) - Culinary Director, The Art Institutes (2014–2018) Education: Art Institute of Pittsburgh; South University Since 2019, Eckert has served as Director of Great Lakes Culinary Institute in Traverse City, Michigan. The job calls for more than oversight; it depends on setting standards, reading student potential, and keeping culinary training grounded in the realities of the field. The point is not simply enrollment. It is building enough substance into the program that students see clear value in coming to it. American Culinary Federation recognized Leslie Eckert across both pastry and education. The 2014 Southeast Region Pastry Chef of the Year award points to her work in pastry itself, while the 2013 National Chef Educator of the Year and 2013 Southeast Regional Chef Educator of the Year awards place her instruction on the same level of distinction. Together, the honors show a career built in two registers at once: making and teaching, with each reinforcing the other.