Best Culinary Schools in the World

While some successful chefs achieve success without any formal education, that path to cooking mastery certainly isn’t the norm. It’s in every aspiring chef’s best interest to learn proper skills and techniques from a well-respected culinary school. The following are just some of the world’s best culinary institutes. The school that’s the best individual fit for you largely depends on the type of food you wish to specialize in.

Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, USA

Auguste Escoffier, a great chef who started his career when he was 13, is the inspiration for the school's name. His burning desire to succeed led him to become the legendary chef credited with ushering in a new era in French cuisine.

Boulder, Colorado and Austin, Texas are home to two of the best culinary and pastry arts schools in the United States, both of which are certified and provide certificate and degree programs. In school and after they graduate, students have access to career services.

Farm-to-table education emphasizes the importance of supporting local farmers and sustainable agriculture by showing kids where their food originates from. Classes are kept small so that each student has ample opportunity to learn and grow according to the ideals and practices of Wilhelm II's "Emperor of Chefs." The modern a la carte menu concept was introduced by Chef Escoffier.

Those who are eligible may be able to get financial aid, while the specifics of what is offered vary by institution and degree program.

Le Cordon Bleu

Established in 1895 France, Le Cordon Bleu is the world’s largest hospitality education institution. With over 50 schools scattered over five continents, the institution educates approximately 20,000 students per year—with culinary arts being just one of its several focuses. While Le Cordon Bleu currently has over a dozen affiliated schools in the United States, those branches are set to close this year. This means that studying at the revered institution will need to be an International endeavor for American culinary students.

The institute predictably stresses French cuisine in its coursework and claims several world famous chefs as its alumni. Current celebrity Chef Giada Laurentiis was educated at Le Cordon Bleu, as was cooking legend Julia Child. While the original Le Cordon Bleu campus in Paris is a great option, there are also affiliated schools in London, Madrid, Istanbul, Tokyo, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and other countries.

Culinary Arts Academy, Switzerland

The Culinary Arts Academy, part of the Swiss Education Group and widely considered one of the best culinary schools in the world, offers a rigorous curriculum that includes business and culinary management training for aspiring professionals.

Two sites, one in the heart of old Lucerne and the other on the shores of Lake Lucerne in Le Bouveret, are home to the school's elite 300 students.

Education programs ranging from a single semester to a full four years are available at the Academy. Classes consist of:

• Bachelor's Degree in Culinary Arts
• Swiss Grand Diploma in Culinary Arts
• Swiss Grand Diploma in Pastry and Chocolate Arts
• Diploma in Vegetarian Culinary Arts (starting mid-2020).

A new master's degree program in international business management for the culinary industry will debut at the school in late 2020 or early 2021.

The Culinary Arts Academy also offers a Master in International Business in Culinary Management.

https://www.culinaryartsswitzerland.com/

Trainees will become proficient in all aspects of foreign cooking, from the most fundamental techniques to those used in fine dining restaurants around the world.

In addition, iconic establishments like the Ritz Paris and the Ritz Escoffier offer students one-of-a-kind internship possibilities. Merit-based and need-based scholarships are both available.

Culinary Institute of America

With campuses in New York, California, and Texas, the Culinary Institute of America spans from coast to coast. The renowned school even has an international campus in Singapore. While all three of the U.S. campuses offer associate degrees, only the institute’s main campus—New York—lets culinary students earn bachelor degrees.

In addition to degrees, the schools offer a wide variety of other programs. All three U.S. campuses host programs for food and wine enthusiasts. These programs vary greatly—with some only lasting a couple hours and others billing themselves as multi-day boot camps. The California campus is located in Napa Valley and is host to a one-of-a-kind Food Business School that helps prepare aspiring restaurant owners for the obstacles that come with running a foodservice.

The New York campus, which is located in the Hudson Valley, gives students hands-on experience by operating four public restaurants. These restaurants focus respectively on French cuisine, Italian cuisine, American cuisine, and café type foods—sandwiches, soups, and baked treats. While the California and Texas campuses also give students the chance to work at on-site restaurants, they don’t have the same range of cooking styles found at the New York campus.

Faculty at the Culinary Institute of America includes several American Culinary Federation-certified Master Chefs and Retail Bakers of America-certified Master Bakers. Other professors include authors of textbooks and magazines. The Institution’s long list of notable alumni includes celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain.

Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, France

If you're interested in French cuisine, then you should definitely check out Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, which is often regarded as the protector of French skills and hence one of the most prestigious culinary schools in the world.

Julia Child was the first woman to graduate from her culinary school in 1949, and the institution now names a popular demonstration on boeuf bourguignon after her.

The majority of its 40 locations provide short courses and workshops for home cooks that last anywhere from one to four days. Le Cordon Bleu is the largest culinary and hospitality school in the world, with locations spanning five continents from Tokyo to Lima.

The School of Artisan Food

The first artisanal food school in the United Kingdom, The School of Artisan Food is a not-for-profit operation that offers classes in baking, butchery, and cheese making. Following founder Alison Swan Parente’s struggle to find a quality baker for a bakehouse, she decided to open the school to “help those of us who sit in offices fantasizing about making jam for a living realize our dreams.” The School of Artisanal Food has been in operation since 2009 and has 2000 enrolled students.

Offering weekend classes, one-year courses, and advanced diplomas in baking, the school also has courses that focus on the business side of the food industry. So while lectures from chefs are not uncommon, neither are talks from lawyers, accountants, and other business experts. The school teaches students how to master the process of baking, butchery, and cheese making. Other topics covered include preparing and cooking a wide range of foods and drinks—sausages, jams, beers, ales, ciders, ice creams, sourdoughs, cured meats, and pickles.

Located on a 15,000-acre estate in the legendary Sherwood Forest, The School of Artisanal Food has won several awards for its consistent excellence. In 2013, the UK Cookery School of the Year Awards honored the institution as ‘Best Country or Residential Cookery School.’ In 2014, the British Cookery School Awards awarded its top prize to The School of Artisanal Food.

Westminster Kingsway College, London, UK

Westminster Kingsway College has four locations in central London: the King's Cross Centre, the Victoria Centre, the Soho Centre, and the Regent's Park Centre.

The institution, which dates back to 1909, is well-known for its outstanding reputation in the fields of culinary arts and hospitality education.

Program participants range in age from the very young but enthusiastic to seasoned professionals switching careers. The Young Chef Academy is aimed for kids aged 13 to 16 who want to learn how to cook professionally. The cost of this comprehensive five-weekend Saturday course is just £100 per person.

Westminster Kingsway College

Bread and Viennoiserie; Pastries, Tarts, Pies, and Quiches; and Hot and Cold Desserts are just three of the patisserie and culinary tracks available within the Grand Escoffier Diploma's six kitchen-based modules. Other tracks include Nose to Tail, Meat, Game, and Poultry; Fish, Shellfish, and Sustainability; and Pasta, Rice, and Seasonal Vegetables. To earn their diploma, students must pass the RSPH Certificate and three additional courses.

Notable alumni include Jamie Oliver, Ainsley Harriot, Kathy Burke, Michelle Collins.

Culinary Arts Academy

The Culinary Arts Academy in Switzerland has a reputation for being one of the most well-respected culinary institutions in the world. Founded in 1991, the Academy has campuses in both Lucerne and Le Bouveret. Offering hospitality and tourism studies in addition to the culinary fields, the highly selective school has only 300 enrolled students.

Offering an innovative educational experience, the Culinary Arts Academy is equipped with state-of-the-art kitchens and is partners with a multitude of industry professionals. The program focuses on both kitchen skills as well as the knowledge necessary for successful entrepreneurship. Small classes ensure plenty of personal attention from experienced instructors, and internships are available through industry juggernauts like the Ritz Paris and Ritz Escoffier.

The Academy offers Bachelor’s Degrees in Culinary Arts, which focus on Swiss pastry and chocolate arts. The Culinary Arts Academy also offers a Masters of International Business in Culinary Management.

Institute of Culinary Education

Located in downtown Manhattan, the Institute of Culinary Education offers 1,500 classes per year and attracts over 26,000 students. The institute was founded as Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School in 1975 and offers several programs—a Culinary Arts Program, Pastry & Baking Arts Program, Culinary Management Program, and Hospitality Management Program. Also hosting continuing educating courses and recreational cooking courses, the Institute of Culinary Education has a class for every interest and skill level. Winning numerous awards, the institute was called the best culinary school in 2016 by cooking authority The Daily Meal. Notable alumni include Vivian Howard, Ed Behr, and Rachel Yang.

While attending a renowned culinary school is a great way to learn how to cook, it’s not the only path to culinary mastery. In an Internet age when information is more accessible than ever before, it never been easier for aspiring chefs to teach themselves the craft of cooking. Blogs, books, cooking shows, and Youtube videos have an abundance of useful information that can help you get started. In fact, celebrity chefs like Rachael Ray and Nigella Lawson have no formal culinary education. So whether you decide to attend a culinary institute or utilize resources at home, the important part is making a sustained effort.

Hattori Nutrition College, Japan

The Hattori Nutrition College, founded in 1939 by the now-famous Iron Chef Yukio Hattori, is widely considered to be among the best culinary schools in all of Asia and a must-attend for any budding Japanese chefs. The College offers both culinary and "Shokuiku" (Japanese for "food education") based dietary courses.

According to the president's perspective, it's the process of teaching people how to eat healthily by teaching them "about food and nutrition, and how to make appropriate decisions through practical experience with food."

Students will learn to cook in a way that takes into account health, safety, and the environment, and not just the taste of the food.

Culinary Institute of Barcelona, Spain

You may find inspiring restaurant management courses here that will help you develop your culinary imagination.

The school is rather pleased with itself for rejecting the conventional approach of teaching students to follow recipes. Instead, the emphasis on product, technique, and context results in cooks who can think creatively, solve challenges, and work with a wide variety of ingredients and preparation methods.

The school's courses are well-designed to fulfill the needs of anybody interested in cooking, whether they are complete beginners, seasoned cooks looking to specialize, or aspiring managers. Those who aspire to "have it all" might do so by earning the Gran Chef Diploma.

The Gran Chef Diploma is a prestigious certificate that may be earned after 1,200 hours of study and a total investment of €32,000. To get the Gran Chef Diploma, students must first complete the Haute Cuisine Diploma, as well as one culinary and one managerial concentration, and then complete a six-month internship in any of the school's one hundred affiliated restaurants.