In Memoriam: Rebecca Alssid (1936–2026)

More than 35 years ago, Rebecca C. Alssid, an employee at Boston University’s Metropolitan College, was tasked with establishing a Culinary Arts Program that would be centered around the already established professional kitchens at 808 Commonwealth Avenue.

She had ground-breaking ideas but needed some help to set up a curriculum. She picked up the phone and cold-called Julia Child, whom she’d never met. Child in turn called her friend, chef Jacques Pépin, and the trio managed, with the help of other new friends, to start the culinary program. Later they developed the Master of Arts in Gastronomy, an academic food studies curriculum that was the first of its kind in the country.

Ms. Alssid died on February 17 from pancreatic cancer. She turned 90 a few weeks before.

In 1991, as the founding director of BU’s Food & Wine Programs, Ms. Alssid was already known as a pioneer. She had begun the Evergreen Program for local senior citizens to audit courses for reduced fees. She went on to start initiatives in wine (the Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource Center) and cheese. Under her direction, she brought in cookbook authors from around the country to teach culinary classes, which she opened to the public, and helped lead travel tours to Europe.

Those early years were an exciting time. Jacques Pépin taught French culture and cuisine. Julia Child did cooking demonstrations for the students (and for the public). Pépin still teaches in the Culinary Arts Program.

Pépin has lost a longtime friend. “Rebecca was very important in my life. We worked together for over 40 years and the program at BU would not have happened without her involvement and enthusiasm.”

She insisted that studying food from various aspects should be taken seriously. Megan Elias, director of BU’s Food Studies Programs, credits Alssid with this. “By bringing together the practical and academic, Rebecca Alssid legitimized the serious study of food while also prioritizing pleasure,” she said. “She created a community of food-focused people around the program who continue to support it today.”

Merry (Corky) White, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Anthropology, who taught courses for Ms. Alssid, said, “Her dedication to the program she helped create, her persistence in keeping the values with which it was created alive and active, all so solidly grounded in her conviction that there is no more important topic than the food that sustains and motivates and engages us.”

When Ms. Alssid started the Gastronomy program, said Dr. White, “She railed against the depreciation of food studies.” At the time, whatever courses that centered on food were automatically relegated to the bottom of the academic ladder. BU’s food studies curriculum was established with courses in food history, anthropology, food science, communication, culture, and food writing.

She staffed the culinary program with well-respected Greater Boston chefs and restaurateurs, including, over the years, Jody Adams, Rich Barron, Jimmy Burke, Chris Douglass (now the program’s lead instructor), Gordon Hamersley, Deborah Hansen, Steve Johnson, Michael Leviton, Frank McClelland, and Chris Schlesinger.

“I credit Rebecca with bringing the chef community together and fostering a camaraderie among chefs unique to Boston,” said Douglass.

Leviton says, “What she created from nothing is remarkable: Her ability to see a need, to adapt the program to changing circumstances (financial, culinary, generational, etc.), to get so many incredibly talented chefs to come teach, to inspire so many who worked for her, and to enable the program to be so many things for so many different people.”

Former Formaggio Kitchen owner Ihsan Gurdal taught a cheese course on the history, taste, culture, and distinctions of terroirs. “I was so honored and happy to be part of her group of friends and culinary professionals,” he said. “She was always caring, knowledgeable and a pleasure to work for. Saying that she took care of us would be an understatement. We were part of her family and she treated as such.”

Ms. Alssid turned to chef Deborah Hansen, former owner of Taberna de Haro in Brookline, to teach the cooking of Spain and other Spanish-speaking cultures. “She was a role model for me when I was a young chef caught in the tug of war between restaurant career and mothering little children. I always found her to be firm but kind, driven but patient, noble but humorous. I used to light up when I entered that 808 Commonwealth Avenue venue and saw her at her desk, surrounded by the rainbow of irresistible books I longed to pore over.”

Hansen said, “Our food community has lost one of its greats here in Boston.”

Ms. Alssid was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on January 30, 1936. She graduated from Syracuse University and married Michael W. Alssid. They had two children, Vanessa Alssid of Brookline, and Julian Alssid of Barrington, R.I. When her husband died, she joined MET in 1975 as a secretary.

She is survived by her children, and four grandchildren, Michaela Rosen, Michael L. Alssid, Bella Alssid, and Laila Alssid. Burial will be private. A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Good Shepherd Community Care of Newton.

At her home in Brookline, Ms. Alssid regularly hosted lively parties, where local chefs mingled with culinary and Gastronomy students and professors. She later married Arthur Schleifer, who predeceased her.

At Boston University, when Pépin was teaching in her program, she always threw a party for him. “I am indebted to her in many ways,” he said, “but most of all she was a great friend, and we did so many fun parties at her house where food, wine, and friendship were celebrated.”

She mentored hundreds of students and young faculty members, said Lisa Falso-Doherty, assistant director of Food & Wine Programs. That program is now headed by Potter Palmer, who said of Rebecca, “It is hard to overstate the impact she and the programs she developed had on the lives of so many people.”

Janine Sciarappa, a longtime pastry chef who teaches in the Professional Pastry Program, said, “I know I am not alone in saying that Rebecca Alssid has influenced countless chefs, instructors and students in the Boston area and beyond. How lucky we were to be in her orbit.”