According to edinformatics.com, here are their rankings of culinary schools, mostly in the United States.
Institute of Culinary Education (NYC) — Founded in 1975 by the late Peter Kump, the school’s career division offers a fast, intensive culinary education geared for adults at least 20 years old. Students are required to have completed at least two years of college or to have two years of work experience in order to enroll. The Institute’s gender ratio is approximately 50/50, and the average student age is 24-28. Although the school is located in NYC, students come from all over the United States and the world. In 2002 and 2003, ICE was a finalist and winner in the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ vocational and avocational culinary school of the year awards. Most recently, ICE won the 2008 IACP Award of Excellence for Best Vocational Cooking School. Its students and alumni regularly are nominated for or win top industry awards, such as James Beard Awards, Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in America, and Pastry Art & Design’s Ten Best Pastry Chefs. We rate ICE as one of the Best Culinary Schools on our List. Personal tour’s of ICE’s state-of-the-art facility are given to interested students.
Texas Culinary Academy: Experience and modern 73,000 square foot facilities come together at Texas Culinary Academy, which has been successfully training students in the culinary arts for over fifteen years. A brand new facility recently opened at the school and includes laboratory, kitchens, classrooms, a restaurant, and retail store as well as a dramatic demonstration area that was modeled after Le Cordon Bleu in London and Paris. The school is located in Austin Texas which offers a thriving art, music, and restaurant scene and was recently ranked the second best place to live in the country by both Money* magazine and Men’s Journal**. Students in their Culinary Arts and Pâtisserie & Baking programs can learn everything from basic cooking and pastry skills to purchasing and cost control—along with essential business know-how required for success in this competitive field. Financial Aid is available at Texas Culinary Academy. This is the only Cordon Bleu affiliated cooking school in Texas. TCA is rated one of the Best Culinary School in America by our own readers).
Le Cordon Bleu Dallas Texas — Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Dallas was established in 1999 to bring a renowned culinary curriculum to the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Dallas represents classic culinary techniques combined with modern innovations and the latest in global cuisine. Theoretical concepts as well as practical and creative applications are addressed in the curricula as well, and reinforced by interaction with professionals in the industry.
California Culinary Academy (San Francisco)- –California Culinary Academy offers professional training in culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, and hospitality and restaurant management; with hands-on cooking classes and lecture courses. Instruction in classical and contemporary culinary techniques, business management, wine appreciation, and hotel operations, — The North Campus: San Francisco’s Culinary Hot Spot Historic California Hall at 625 Polk Street in downtown San Francisco is the nerve center of the Academy and an ideal place to pursue chef training.South Campus: In 2004, California Culinary Academy opened a new 100,000-square-foot South campus at 350 Rhode Island (Rating– One of the Best Culinary Schools in America by our own readers).
The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Washington — The Culinary School has a broad curriculum — Baking & Pastry. Wine, Spirits & Beverage Management, Culinary Arts Management, Food & Beverage Management Baking & Pastry. Large spacious facility with excellent trained staff. Students can pursue their associates’ degree in Culinary Arts in an evening and weekend, online and on-ground format. The school has its own restaurant. Culinaire Restaurant is a complete instructional environment for students that offers a quality dining experience to its patrons. Art Institute Campus
Culinary Institute at Hyde Park NY — and Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Greystone- With 300 companies recruiting on campus each year, this continues to remain one of the best culinary schools in America. The school has degrees in Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Arts, and a Bachelor’s and Associate Degree programs. The school has a high-profile alumni. The Culinary Institute of America (main campus at Hyde Park) is the oldest culinary school in the United States and is a degree-granting college dedicated exclusively to culinary and baking and pastry arts education. Note: the CIA has four enrollment seasons to choose from.
Kendall College School of Culinary Arts –Chicago -Illinois — Long regarded as one of the top culinary arts and baking and pastry schools in the nation –Kendall is one of the few schools that offer a four-year Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts degree in addition to the AAS and Certificate programs. The four year program gives an in-depth examination of international cuisine, including Latin and South America, the Mediterranean and Asia, as well as nutrition. Business skills, from finance to marketing to personnel will prepare students to plan, build, promote and sustain a food-related business. The school has a strategic partnership with the internationally acclaimed Les Roches International School of Hotel Management offering a joint degree program and expanded international internship opportunities for students.
Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Boston — Boston is a strong food town and now deservedly has it’s own culinary school. Located in a convenient urban setting in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the campus of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Boston occupies approximately 70,000 square feet in what’s known historically as The Athenaeum Press Building. The school recently opened a restaurant –Technique at Le Cordon Bleu– which is starting to get some excellent reviews.
Pennsylvania Culinary Institute was founded in 1986 as a Branch Campus of The Sawyer School. PCI was well-known in the Pittsburgh area and beyond for providing a quality hands-on education and attracted students from across the United States. This school has both a full 15 month “Associate Degree in Specialized Technology in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Program,” and an “Associate Degree in Specialized Technology in Le Cordon Bleu Pastry Program”. The school has a rich heritage and a storied alumni that includes such epicurean luminaries as Julia Child , Le Cordon Bleu Program brings a century of culinary excellence to the United States, with a partnership with Pittsburgh’s International Culinary Academy. (Rating– One of the Best Culinary Schools)
Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago (formerly The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago) -At Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago, you can receeive an Associate of Applied Science Degree and Certificate in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts and an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Le Cordon Bleu Pâtisserie and Baking; as well as the coveted Le Cordon Bleu Diplôme. TheCulinary Arts school represents classic culinary techniques combined with modern innovations and the latest in global cuisine.
Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts at Minneapolis/St. Paul: Master classical French techniques with modern American technology and earn your Associate of Applied Science degree in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts in only 15 months. Practical hands-on lab classes follow expert led demonstration classes to create a well rounded education in the culinary arts. Learn theory, table service, wine selection and much more to jump start your future in the Culinary Arts.
French Culinary Institute, NYC -French techniques with American inventiveness in a fast-paced curriculum. Distinguished faculty includes the master chefs Alain Sailhac, Jacques Pépin, André Soltner, Jacques Torres and master sommelier Andrea Immer. Visiting-lecturer symposiums featured Marcella Hazan, Alice Waters, and Bobby Flay. FCI has rigorous, hands-on program that gets well-trained graduates into the workplace quickly (Rating– One of the Best Culinary Schools) Note: The French Culinary Institute also has advanced classes for seasoned professionals and FCI’s short programs for ‘passionate amateurs’.
Italian Culinary Academy — This is the ultimate Italian Culinary School. The FCI (French Culinary Institute) offers The Italian Culinary Experience, a comprehensive Italian cooking course focused on the Total ImmersionSM of not only Italian food, but their distinct culture and language as well. Your curriculum at the Italian culinary schools in NYC and Parma, Italy will consist of developing a comprehensive understanding of Italian food, wine, history, language, and culture, Once the nine weeks of training is complete at your Italian cooking schools, you will then be placed in a selected restaurant for a period of nine weeks in order to put your acquired skills to the test in real world situations.
Scottsdale Culinary Institute: Scottsdale Culinary Institute offers an Associate Degree of Occupational Studies in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary arts. This intensive program can be completed in as little as 15 months including a three month externship at the location of your choice. The facilities feature state-of-the-art culinary equipment in their eight kitchens, bakery, and meat shop.
Kitchen Academy – Seattle – Sacramento – Los Angeles: This is a rather new culinary training program. The program has been designed by professional chefs and has been developed to allow students to earn their Professional Culinary Arts Diploma in as little as 30 instructional weeks. The School is located in Hollywood California. Classes are offered morning, afternoon and evening. Financial aid is available for those who qualify. Students from Kitchen Academy prepared the meal for 2005 (57th Annual) Emmy Awards.Note: Kitchen Academy is now part of the Cordon Bleu Network of Culinary Schools.
KitchenAcademy – Sacramento
Kitchen Academy – Seattle
Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts — Boulder Colorado, Austin Texas New
Auguste Escoffier is legendary among chefs and gourmands. No other figure in history has done more for the development and modernization of French cuisine and for raising the stature of cooking to respected career paths in the culinary arts. Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts provide a curriculum consistent with the Escoffier teachings and standards of excellence. They offer culinary arts and baking and pastry programs worthy of the world-renowned Escoffier name. Escoffier School of Culinary Arts
L’Academie de Cuisine -(Day and Night Programs available) L’Academie de Cuisine is the premier culinary school in the Washington, DC area and recognized as one of the finest culinary schools in the United States. Gaithersburg– Maryland -L’Academie de Cuisine (Maryland) offers cooking classes for adults and children and professional programs for gourmet chefs. Courses include Professional Culinary Development, Fundamental Culinary and Pastry and International Culinary Techniques. L’Academie de Cuisine has grown to become the premier culinary school in the Washington, DC region and recognized among the finest schools in the United States. In 1997, they were very proud to receive the International Association of Culinary Professionals Award of Excellence in the Cooking School category.
Las Vegas Cordon Bleu — In a location surrounded by five-star restaurants, renowned chefs, and some of the nation’s most innovative dining and hospitality concepts, Le Cordon Bleu provides a creative and supportive atmosphere that simulates the culinary world. At our Las Vegas cooking school, you’ll work in industry-equipped kitchens, using fine ingredients and commercial-grade tools. Program Offerings Certificate in Culinary Arts Certificate in Baking and Pastry Arts
Johnson & Wales University —- became the first school in the country to offer a bachelor of science degree in the Culinary Arts in 1993. As a full university, Johnson & Wales is much more than just a “cooking school.” They are in fact one of the preeminent culinary universities in the world. Their associate and bachelor’s degree programs have been designed to provide you with the hands-on skills, knowledge, real-life experience and critical thinking skills you need to become the best. Programs in Baking and Pastry, Culinary Arts, Culinary Nutrition, Food Service Management and Food Entrepreneurship. (Rated One of the Best Culinary Schools in America by Emeril Lagasse) Campus Locations: Providence, RI; North Miami, FL; Denver CO; and Charlotte, NC. (Ed. Note: Providence, Rhode Island now boasts a nationally celebrated culinary scene in a large part to Johnson and Wales University. Numerous students intern and many students move on to restaurants making Providence a great place for food.)
California School of Culinary Arts: Founded in 1994, located in the heart of Southern California – in the historic Playhouse District in Pasadena. The campus offers a fine dining restaurant, café, and a retail store. The school library is an important resource for students and culinary professionals alike and provides computers which allow students to do research over the Internet. There are also 30 teaching labs and 9 classrooms to accommodate our surging enrollment while maintaining smaller class sizes. The labs are equipped and designed for optimal efficiency, usability and comfort.(Rating– One of the Best Culinary Schools)
New England Culinary Institute–The finest culinary arts school in the heart of New England. For more than 27 years, New England Culinary Institute has enjoyed a niche all its own – small classes, personal attention and celebrated restaurants. Graduates of New England Culinary Institute are sought after the world over for their level of skill, passion, and preparation. New England Culinary Institute has two campuses, one in our beautiful state capital of Montpelier and the other in scenic Essex, Vermont. Students have the unique opportunity to receive hands-on training in the free standing restaurant, retail and non-commercial operations of our Montpelier campus as well as the experience of a Four Diamond culinary resort and inn on our Essex campus.
Sullivan University (At the National Center for Hospitality Studies)- Louisville, Kentucky – This school also has a 3 1/2 star restaurant, Winston’s, that is run by culinary students, a catering facility that serves the community, and a retail bakery. Sullivan University’s National Center for Hospitality Studies is preparing students for careers in the hospitality field by offering five Associate of Science (A.S.) Degree Majors. Students can earn an Associate of Science Degree in Culinary Arts; Baking and Pastry Arts; Professional Catering; Hotel and Restaurant Management; and Travel and Tourism. The University also offers Diplomas in Professional Cooking and Professional Baking. Rated by Emeril Lagasse as one of the best culinary schools in America.
Western Culinary Institute (Cordon Bleu) — Portland Oregon As a student at Western Culinary Institute you can pursue your passion while living in one of the most stunningly beautiful cities in America – Portland, Oregon – in the Pacific Northwest. In its January 2002 issue, Gourmet magazine called Oregon “the next Napa. It’s the Burgundy of America, rich in produce, laden with seafood, and blessed with fabulous wines. Chefs love it.
San Diego Culinary Institute – San Diego Culinary Institute is San Diego’s culinary school of choice. In as little as 8 months you will be on your way to a career in the kitchens of some of the most highly acclaimed fine dining restaurants in San Diego and all over the world. San Diego Culinary Institute has both a Culinary and Baking and Pastry program. Chef Instructors have all been the Executive Chef of a fine dining restaurant for a minimum of 5 years and they have all been in the culinary field for a minimum of 25 years.
