Dorothy Cann Hamilton (August 25, 1949 – September 16, 2016) was the founder and CEO of the

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 ...

, which she founded as The French Culinary Institute (FCI) in 1984. She was also president of the Friends of the USA Pavilion for Expo Milano 2015. WomanzWorld described her as "one of the most influential forces shaping the American culinary landscape today".

Background

Hamilton was born in Manhattan in 1949. She was first introduced to fine French dining while she was studying at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in England, when she made numerous trips to France. After graduating with a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

honors degree, Hamilton spent three years in the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F ...

in Thailand where she learned about Asian cuisine. She earned an M.B.A. from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

Stern Business School. Hamilton resided with her daughter, dividing their time between New York City and

Litchfield County, Connecticut Litchfield County is in northwestern Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 185,186. The county was named after Lichfield, in England. Litchfield County has the lowest population density of any county in Connecticut and is the ...

. She died at the age of 67 on September 16, 2016 in a car accident in Cape Breton Island,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Canada.

Recent achievements

* Awarded the Legion of Honor in 2015 from the government of France. * Named as a member of the Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs by Babson College, inductee November 2015 * Entrepreneur of the Year in 2013 by the

International Association of Culinary Professionals The International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) is a United States-based not-for-profit professional association whose members work in culinary education, communication, or the preparation of food and beverage. History The organizati ...

for her distinguished career in vocational education and outstanding reputation for creating innovative programs in gastronomy. * Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America by the

James Beard Foundation The James Beard Foundation is a New York City-based national non-profit culinary arts organization named in honor of James Beard, a prolific food writer, teacher, and cookbook author, who was also known as the "Dean of American Cookery." The prog ...

* Silver Spoon Award from Food Arts magazine, recognizing her as a leader in the American restaurant community * United States representative at Seoul’s 2010 C20 Summit of cultural and political dignitaries * Chevalier du Mérite Agricole (Agricultural Merit Knighthood) from the

French government The Government of France (French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who i ...

* A knighting by the Association Internationale de Maîtres Conseil dans la Gastronomie Française * The Outstanding American Educator award from Madrid Fusion * The Diplôme d’Honneur of the Vatel Club des Etats-Unis * Dame de l’Anée of the Académie Culinaire de

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in 2006 * Ordre National du Mérite (National Order of Merit Award) from the French government in 2001 Hamilton was a past Chairman of the Board of the

and is Chair Emeritus of the American Institute of Food and Wine. She created and hosted ''Chef’s Story'', a weekly radio program on the

Heritage Radio Network Heritage Radio Network is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit covering the world of food, drink and agriculture. The member-supported radio station has more than one million monthly listeners in over 200 countries. History In 2009, largely insp ...

and a 26-part television series, which aired on PBS in 2007 and is co-author of its companion book. She conceived textbooks for the school—The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine, The Fundamental Techniques of Pastry Arts, The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking and The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Italian Cuisine, with the first two and the Italian book each receiving James Beard Foundation Awards for best professional cookbook; the pastry book was also acknowledged by the IACP. Her book on culinary careers, Love What You Do: Building a Career in the Culinary Industry was published in the fall of 2009.

References

External links

Love What You Do Blog

Dorothy Interviews Massimiliano Alajmo

Dorothy Interviews Ferran Adrià

WomanzWorld.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Dorothy Cann 1949 births 2016 deaths American chefs New York University Stern School of Business alumni American women chief executives American chief executives of food industry companies Recipients of the Ordre national du Mérite Recipients of the Legion of Honour 21st-century American women