Jerusalem Culinary Institute, located in the Talpiot neighborhood, has operated since 2003 and centers on Mehadrin preparations, the most exacting guidelines of kashrut law. The school hosts a culinary skills program and a patisserie, or pastry arts, program. Both are segmented into three skill levels -- basic, intermediate and advanced -- and allow students to purchase the classes individually or as a group. The curricula are similar to most culinary arts and pastry programs, and cover topics such as kitchen sanitation, knife techniques, stock and sauce fabrication, Pareve breads and confections, nutrition and restaurant management. The pastry arts classes' subject matter includes baking theory, basic dough technique, quick breads, dessert plating and presentation, chocolate and sugar work and classic cakes. Each course, such as basic culinary and basic patisserie, costs $3,566 as of February 2011. Pastry courses and culinary courses cost $8,230 each when purchased as a group.
Jerusalem School of Kosher Culinary Arts provides certificate programs in restaurant management, patisserie arts and culinary arts. Similar to most culinary institutions, the school integrates an on-site, student-staffed restaurant into the program by making employment there a prerequisite for completion. The school admits Jewish students 18 and older who show a vested interest in cooking.
Topics covered include food styling, kashrut cooking, baking, food styling, meat and garde manger, or the craft of cold preparations. Students must also complete a six-week externship at a school-approved kosher hotel or restaurant prior to graduation. Each program costs $10,000, as of February 2011. The restaurant management program requires students to complete the patisserie or culinary arts program prior to admission.
Cook in Israel takes a non-traditional approach to cooking school by basing the instruction in native environments. For instance, the spice and herbs class is taught at a spice farm in the Judean hills, the indigenous-Galilee cuisine class originates from an Arab home in a Galilee village, the cheese-making class is taught at a Galilee dairy, and the Israeli-style baking class is taught in a home in the Ein Karem village of southwest Jerusalem. The programs are designed to immerse students in the culture of Israel through the context of food. These culinary packages last about one week, and consist of five classes augmented with tours of culinarily significant regions.
Hadassah College in Jerusalem offers six groups of general culinary coursework: professional culinary arts, professional pastry arts, cuisine of the world, setting a table, pastry and confectionery arts, and nutrition and health. The professional culinary arts and pastry arts courses deal in fundamental cooking, baking and pastry fabrication. The setting a table courses focus on recipe examination and food design. Nutrition and health covers food and its dietary significance, as well as dietetic foods and their preparation.