Culinary Schools in California: An Overview

August 22, 2011 by Lisa

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1. The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) – St. Helena is one of the non-profitable culinary schools in California offering traditional bachelor and associate degrees in culinary arts. The school also offers hospitality courses and consulting services for restaurant management. For professional educators, recreational classes for home food preparation are offered. CIA was founded in 1946 by Katharine Angall and Frances Roth. Originally named as “New Haven Restaurant Institute”, it was changed to “Culinary Institute of America” after World War II in 1951. The St. Helena Campus offers Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) and Associate in Occupational Studies (AOS) in culinary arts. Requirements for admission includes six months of experience in food management.

2. The French Culinary Institute (FCI) – San Francisco is an affiliate institution of the prominent Italian Culinary Academy. Founded by Dorothy Hamilton in 1984, the San Francisco Campus offers undergraduate programs in culinary & pastry arts, wine studies & preparation and special programs in food management. FCI – San Francisco is currently one of the top culinary schools in California. From 2006 to 2010, the International Association of Culinary Professionals awarded the FCI – San Francisco Campus for its excellence in offering vocational cooking and baking programs. The FCI is home to some prominent names from the culinary arts, including Jacques Pepin, Andre Soltner, Alan Richman, Chris Ely and Jacques Torres.

3. The Professional Culinary Institute of California (PCIC) – is a branch campus of the French Culinary Institute. Located in Campbell, California, PCIC offers the following programs: Diploma in Professional Baking & Pastry Arts, Diploma in Culinary Arts and Certified Sommelier Program. The PCIC is noted for its state-of-the-art equipment and “small-class” environment. A relatively new institute, PCIC also offers “hobby” classes and trainings for non-professionals. The “Housing Assistance” meanwhile is offered for students from nearby cities and towns in California.

4. Le’Ecole – is a public culinary institution and restaurant owned by the FCI. Le’Ecole specializes in offering courses on pastry making, cake and wine preparation. The restaurant is regularly open during lunch and dinner, as well as weekends and holidays. Students and graduates of Le’Ecole gains experience during their part-time “back-of-the-house” kitchen duties. Le’Ecole is home to these notable alumni:

Chef Dan Barber – One of Time Magazine’s Most Influential People of 2009.
David Chang – 2007’s “Rising Star Chef” winner and one of Time Magazine’s Most Influential People of 2010.
Lee Anne Wong – Top Chef Season One 4th Placer.

To learn more about culinary schools in California, please feel free to consider our main blog about culinary arts, as we have written many different blogs on various topics revolving around specific cooking classes, culinary arts schools, and colleges in CA. You can find more of our content by visiting our main blog by clicking here.