Founded in 1975, the Institute of Culinary Education is the city's largest center for culinary education, with five floors and 42,000 square feet. The award-winning school offers 8- to 13-month programs in pastry and baking and in both culinary and hospitality management. In addition to hosting corporate and private cooking events, the school offers recreational cooking and baking classes and wine education.
The French Culinary Institute was founded over 25 years ago and features a rigorous, hands-on curriculum called "Total Immersion." You'll learn about French and western cooking in 6- or 9-month courses in Classic Culinary Arts; Classic Pastry Arts, created by renowned master pastry chef, Jacques Torres; or Art of International Bread Baking. Culinary, pastry, bread and wine amateur courses are also offered as are estate management studies and specialized training in cake design, culinary technology, wine studies, business development, food styling and food journalism and food media.
The Natural Gourmet Institute, founded in 1977, offers a 619-hour chef's training program that focuses on healthy cooking and is a mostly vegetarian program. Some of the things you'll learn are instruction in preparing seafood, organic chicken and eggs; selecting and handling ingredients; and converting recipes to natural and vegan ingredients. Study here on a full-time or part-time basis if you want to focus on a career in health spas, restaurants, bakeries, private cooking, catering, teaching, consulting or food writing. Public classes are also offered for cooks of all skill levels who may attend a demonstration, partial participation or hands-on class.
Like the French Culinary Institute, the Italian Culinary Academy offers a "Total Immersion" program and offers students the option to train in Parma, Italy. The 29-week course teaches aspiring chefs cuisine from all the regions of Italy, Italian culture, cooking terms, techniques and Italian language training. Eight-session "Essentials of Italian Cooking" classes are also offered where you can learn to make appetizers, how to cook fish, meat and pasta dishes and how to create desserts.