After twenty two years of teaching, Chef Perrin Long is retiring, leaving his students to learn about the culinary arts with a new teacher.

“I think that they’re a little bit perplexed. I think some of them feel like I’m abandoning them. I told them that it was just their bad luck that this was the year I decided to retire because even if I waited to retire for five more years, with a two year program, I’m always gonna leave a group behind,” said Long.

After ten years of teaching at Portsmouth High School, Long reminisced about his time here: “My favorite moment was the two years that the ProStart culinary team won the state competition and we went to the national competition. I like to compete to begin with, so teaching the kids how to compete and then having them do really well and get to go on a trip with them, that’s really special.”  

Long will be spending his retirement in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire on his property, Moody Mountain Farm, and he welcomes his previous students to visit him. He plans to tend to his garden and develop his business.

Chef Long owns a barn in Wolfeboro where he has been hosting weddings for seven years. Other than this, he plans to travel. “I’m going to visit a good friend of mine that I graduated from culinary school in 1981 with. We’ve been in touch all these years and he lives in Ecuador and the deal was when I retired I had to come visit.”

Long wanted to remind his students that he “cares about them and wishes they would take their studies a little bit more seriously.” He also wanted to advise his students to, “Play less video games, and read more.”

Chef Perrin Long was respected and favored by all of his students.

“He’s a very influential person in my life.” said Justin Cherry. Another student of Long’s, Brody Cutter, wanted others to remember,“That he was the God of culinary.”

When Long announced to his students that he would not be returning next year, students reportedly cried.

Chef Long will be missed.