Upper Valley Campus
Located a mile from Main Street in St. Helena, the Upper Valley Campus (UVC) has served our community for over 20 years with high quality community service classes, non-credit and credit courses, as well as hosting community events. The campus is located on seven beautiful acres, and features a fully equipped teaching kitchen, a beautiful art studio, a computer lab, a unique library of culinary texts, and a spacious outdoor courtyard. UVC is also home to the Napa Valley Cooking School, an intimate premier culinary program designed to train both professional chefs and culinary enthusiasts. Our Educational Trips and Tours are also headquartered at the UVC along with the annual Napa Valley Writers' Conference.
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AT THE UPPER VALLEY CAMPUS
BRONZE SCULPTURES
The Upper Valley Campus is site of eleven permanently installed bronze sculptures by artist Fred Parhad portraying chefs, authors, and vintners – many with deep Napa Valley and Bay Area ties.
They have influenced the American palate, changed the nation's cuisine, and helped put the Napa Valley at the international forefront of outstanding culinary, wine, and hospitality: James Beard, Cecilia Chiang, Julia Child, Narsai David, MFK Fisher, Robert Mondavi, Jacques Pepin, Paul Prodhomme, Wolfgang Puck, Jeremiah Tower, and Alice Waters.
Commissioned by Bay Area author, radio commentator, and California Cuisine pioneer Narsai David and his wife, Venus David, the sculptures were installed in December, 2014. The public is invited to visit the campus to see these artworks free of charge. No appointment is necessary.
CULINARY LIBRARY
Now being housed in McCarthy Library, a large part of the culinary library consists of a life-long collection of cookbooks generously donated by Belle Rhodes. In 2011, the school was able to obtain a nearly 6,000-book collection once housed in Copia's library. The Copia collection picks up the years where the Belle Rhodes' collection ended. Among this collection are wine books, cookbooks, books on whiskey cookery, on onions, cheese, chocolate, herbs, gardening, and kitchen tools.
ART GALLERIES
The campus galleries, over 55 feet of exhibition space, surround the central exterior courtyard. They are illuminated by natural light and provide excellent viewing options whether sitting outside enjoying the peaceful setting of our beautiful campus or walking along the halls attending our many course offerings.
POTTERY COLLECTIONS
The collection of pottery displayed in the Learning Lab and Library at the Upper Valley Campus was donated by Belle Rhodes. She and her husband, Barney, were instrumental in the establishment of the Napa Valley Cooking School and were long time supporters who generously gifted the college with an endowment for the culinary program.
The collection includes works by California artists Eunice Prieto and Sandra Johnstone. There are also some wonderful examples of Native American Acoma pottery.