A cooking school is an institution devoted to education in the art and science of cooking and food preparation. There are many different types of cooking schools around the world, some devoted to training professional chefs, others aimed at amateur enthusiasts, with some being a mixture of the two. Amateur cooking schools are often intertwined with

culinary tourism Culinary tourism or food tourism or gastronomy tourism is the exploration of food as the purpose of tourism. It is considered a vital component of the tourism experience. Dining out is common among tourists and "food is believed to rank alongsid ...

in many countries. Programs can vary from half a day to several years. Some programs lead to an

academic degree An academic degree is a qualification awarded to students upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions commonly offer degrees at various levels, usually including unde ...

or a recognized

vocational qualification Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an ind ...

, while others do not. Many programs include practical experience in the kitchen of a

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

attached to the school or a period of work experience in a privately owned restaurant.

History

Marguerite_Martyn_sketch_of_adult_education_cooking_class_in_1913

Culinary education in the United States is a fairly new concept in relation to culinary education in Europe. Charles Ranhoffer, chef of the early fine dining restaurant

Delmonico's Delmonico's is the name of a series of restaurants that operated in New York City, with the present version located at 56 Beaver Street in the Financial District of Manhattan. The original version was widely recognized as the United States ...

, published a national magazine named "Chef" in 1898 which included one of the first calls to establish a training school for cooks in the United States. Until this point, Ranhoffer had been looking to Europe to solve his staffing problems, however, it began to be too expensive and too much work. In 1911, the United States promoted a system similar to the European one, in which apprentices would have to complete a 6,000-hour work commitment in order to become certified as a chef. The first significant private cooking school in America was the Boston Cooking School, which was created in 1877, however, one of the most notable was the creation of

The Culinary Institute of America The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is a private culinary school with its primary campus in Hyde Park, New York, and branch campuses in St. Helena and Napa, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Singapore. The college, which was the firs ...

in 1946. The Culinary Institute of America brought about a new way to better educate culinary professionals, by teaching students the theory behind their future work and also requiring them to complete an 18-week paid

internship An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

at an approved restaurant, requiring them to create at least 51 percent of their product from scratch. The school uses mainly hands-on teaching styles, ensuring that students learn through experience.

Curricula

Culinary Work - School of Hotel Management at Vels University

Some schools, such as Le Cordon Bleu, offer programs through which a chef may demonstrate his or her knowledge and skills and be given certification. Others, such as

Baltimore International College The Baltimore International College (BIC), founded in 1972, was a private, non-profit college located in Baltimore, Maryland. It offered specialized degree programs in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management. The college was taken over by St ...

Stratford University Stratford University was a private university based in Virginia. On September 26, 2022, it announced it would close, including both the campus-based and online components, at the end of the Fall 2022 semester. Founded in 1976, Stratford delivers ...

Johnson and Wales University Johnson & Wales University (JWU) is a private university with its main campus in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded as a business school in 1914 by Gertrude I. Johnson and Mary T. Wales, JWU enrolled 7,357 students across its campuses in the fa ...

, and the

Culinary Institute of America Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

offer programs whereby students gain either an

Associate's An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The f ...

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

. There are also a few, such as

Ivy Tech Community College Ivy Tech Community College (Ivy Tech) is a public community college system in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the state's public community college system and it has more than 40 locations. It is also the state's largest public postsecondary in ...

of Indiana, Manchester Community College in Connecticut, Los Angeles Trade Technical College in California, or where students receive upon graduation not only an

Associate's degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of Tertiary education, post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelo ...

but also certification by the

American Culinary Federation The American Culinary Federation (ACF) was established in 1929 in New York City and is the largest professional chefs' organization in North America. It was the progeny of the combined visions of three chefs' associations in New York City, the Soci� ...

, the largest professional chefs' organization in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

Notable culinary colleges

Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts is a private culinary school with campuses in Boulder, Colorado, Austin, Texas, and online. The school offers culinary arts, pastry arts, and plant-based programs. It is named after Auguste Escoffier ...

Cambridge School of Culinary Arts Cambridge School of Culinary Arts (CSCA) is a professional school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers several certificate and professional programs, including a culinary studies and pastry specialization. It also offers a variety ...

Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago (formerly known as ''The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago'') was founded in 1983, and closed in September 2017. The school was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and was loca ...

Culinard Culinard was a culinary school owned by Education Corporation of America. It was opened in 2000 as part of the Birmingham, Alabama branch of Virginia College. The second campus was opened with the establishment of the Jacksonville, Florida bra ...

, The Culinary Institute of Virginia College *

Culinary Institute Lenôtre The Culinary Institute Lenotre (CIL) is a French-owned Culinary College in the US located in Houston, Texas, and was founded in 1998 by Alain Lenotre, son of the acclaimed French pastry chef Gaston Lenôtre (1920 - 2009), and his wife, Marie Len ...

* The

Institute of Culinary Education The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) is a private for-profit culinary college in New York City. ICE is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), and offers career training diploma programs in the cu ...

DCT University Center - Switzerland Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland is a culinary school located in Switzerland and a member school of Swiss Education Group. Bachelor students are based at the Le Bouveret campus in French-speaking Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Geneva. Mast ...

International Culinary Center The International Culinary Center was a private for-profit culinary school headquartered in New York City. In 2020, it merged into the Institute of Culinary Education, also in New York City. It was founded as The French Culinary Institute by D ...

Johnson & Wales University Johnson & Wales University (JWU) is a private university with its main campus in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded as a business school in 1914 by Gertrude I. Johnson and Mary T. Wales, JWU enrolled 7,357 students across its campuses in the fa ...

* Kendall College - School of Culinary Arts * Le Cordon Bleu *

New England Culinary Institute The New England Culinary Institute (NECI) was a private for-profit culinary school in Montpelier, Vermont. It was founded on June 15, 1980, by Fran Voigt and John Dranow. The first NECI class, conducted by Chef Michel LeBorgne, had seven st ...

Paul Smith's College Paul Smith's College is a private college in Paul Smiths, New York. Paul Smith's College offers associate and bachelor's degrees. Its 14,000-acre campus is one of the largest college campuses in the world. Approximately 1,000 students attend ...

Schoolcraft College Schoolcraft College is a public community college in Livonia, Michigan. History Schoolcraft College was established in 1961. Originally named Northwest Wayne County Community College, the name of the college was changed because of the length. ...

* Sullivan University * Art Institutes School of Culinary Arts *

Western Culinary Institute The Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland, formerly the Western Culinary Institute (WCI), was a culinary school located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The school was owned by the Career Education Corporation and it w ...

Notes

References

External links