The French Culinary Institute (ICC)

French Culinary Institute is one of the best in the world today. It is also recognized as the International Culinary Center. They have established a reputation as one of the best schools for international cuisine, culinary arts and other related areas within the field like pastry making and restaurant management.

For decades, this school has always remained on top of the list of the best culinary schools. In fact, FCI has been getting a lot of awards and recognition from trusted award giving bodies. FCI got the Award of Excellence for Vocational Cooking Schools which was given by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). This was awarded to them three times, in 2006, 2010 and 2012.

French Culinary Institute History

It was Dorothy Cann Hamilton who founded this institute in 1984. Initially, it was named as the French culinary Institute. However, the school expanded into a training ground which enhances the skills of individuals by giving them much more than just the basic cooking skills. Along with the success of FCI is its recent renaming to International Culinary Center.

Degrees Offered in Different Campuses

There are three major campuses of the International Culinary Center. All of which are equipped with state of the art appliances and facilities which will contribute a lot in honing the skills of the students. Aside from that, their academe is also composed of only the best among the experts in the field. ICC does not only teach theoretical knowledge to their students. They also immerse them to practical training using multimillion-dollar-worth classrooms, libraries, event spaces and industrial kitchen set-up.

The New York City campus of ICC which is at Broadway St. is not just a venue for education but also an establishment for L’Ecole Restaurant and International Culinary Theater. These two commercial spaces contribute in the exposure of students to actual demonstrations. Among the courses that are offered in this branch include the Classic Culinary Arts, Bread Baking, Cake Designing, Pastry Arts, Italian Studies, Food Media, Wine Studies and Restaurant Management.

The California campus of ICC is strategically located right in between Napa Valley and Monterey Bay, giving students an easy access to the best wines and freshly caught seafood. There are three primary courses offered in this branch which are the Classic Culinary Arts, Classic Pastry Arts and Intensive Sommelier Training. This is the perfect school for preparing individuals to become professionals in the culinary field.

Since ICC believes that immersion is the best way to obtain in-depth knowledge about Italian Cuisine and Spanish Culinary Techniques, they also allow their students to gain more knowledge and experience right in Italy. ALMA is the International School of Italian Cuisine which is headed by Gualtiero Marchesi. For more extensive learning about Spanish, students can go through the program which is headed by Jose Andres. He is the dean of Spanish program and he has received multiple recognitions and one of which is the James Beard Award. In 2012, he is also included in Time Magazine’s list of most influential people. Hence, the program which he designed will truly benefit the students of ICC.