Top Ranking Culinary Arts Schools

Culinary arts school is ideal for students of all ages who desire a career in culinary management or as a chef. Courses are typically available in a multitude of different cooking and culinary-related subjects, topics, and categories. Students can, at some point in their culinary education, specialize in one particular type of cooking, such as pastry cooking or baking, but more generalized classes are an important part of any culinary curriculum as well.

Founded in 1946, the Culinary Institute of America, sometimes referred to by students as the CIA, is one of the premiere culinary schools in the United States. Between the schools' two campuses, one in Hyde Park, NY and the other in St. Helena, CA, the institute is comprised of over 125 faculty members, many of whom are American Culinary Federation-Certified Master Chefs. The Hyde Park campus includes five public restaurants and a total of 41 kitchens and bakeshops. The St. Helena campus boasts 6 professional cooking and baking suites and one restaurant. Students can pursue either a bachelor's or an associate degree in either Baking and Pastry Arts or Culinary Management.

The Culinary Institute of America 1946 Campus Drive Hyde Park, NY 12538 845-452-9600 ciachef.edu

Located in New York City, The French Culinary Institute offers a variety of amateur and advanced studies courses. A specialty of the French Culinary Institute is the total immersion program, through which students are thrust into a real working experience at the institute's NYC restaurant, L'Ecole, after just six to nine months of culinary instruction. Class sizes average 12 students per instructor, making it easy for students to interact with and learn from their teachers. Despite its name, The French Culinary Institute does not just teach French cooking and techniques; students learn the basis of western cooking as well, and graduate well-equipped for a career in any restaurant.

The French Culinary Institute is located at: 462 Broadway New York, NY 10013-2618 212-219-8890 frenchculinary.com

Le Cordon Bleu was a cooking school founded in 1895 in Paris. Today, schools with the 'Le Cordon Bleu' name attached to them are recognized as being among the best in the world. The Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin, formerly known as the Texas Culinary Institute, includes two student-run restaurants, Ventana and Bleu River Grille. Students work in the kitchen of each restaurant, preparing a wide variety of dishes, as well as in the front of the restaurant, gathering real-life experience in the areas of restaurant management and marketing. At the Austin campus, programs are offered in the areas of culinary arts, and patisserie and baking.

Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts - Austin 3110 Esperanza Crossing Suite 100, Austin, TX 78758 888-908-3222