We did the research and found The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) was the best school when it came to learning the culinary arts. ICE won out when it came to price, course content and range of classes. Most importantly, studying at ICE got you a job in the F&B industry! If we were looking to get into or change roles within the F&B industry, ICE would be our top choice!
ICE is one of the largest and most diverse culinary schools in the world. Established in 1975, ICE offers award-winning six to 13-month career training programs in Culinary Arts, Pastry & Baking Arts, Health-Supportive Culinary Arts, Restaurant & Culinary Management and Hospitality & Hotel Management, plus professional development programs in Bread Baking and Cake Decorating — with more than 14,000 successful alumni, many of whom are leaders in the culinary and hospitality industries.
ICE also offers continuing education for culinary professionals, hosts more than 500 special events each year and is home to one of the world’s largest recreational cooking, baking and beverage programs with more than 26,000 students annually.
Their Competition
Institute of Culinary Education is one of the largest and most diverse culinary schools in the world, ICE has helped thousands of students to find their culinary voice – and they are ready to help you find yours.
With campuses in America’s most dynamic food cities – New York City and Los Angeles – they are at the forefront of the food and hospitality industries.
Johnson & Wales University, founded in 1914, is a nonprofit, private institution. A recognized leader in career education, they offer fully accredited degrees in business, hospitality, culinary arts, technology and education to more than 17,000 graduate and undergraduate students, representing all 50 states and 93 countries.
Their more than 85,000 alumni from 140 countries pursue careers around the world. The oldest campus is located in Providence, Rhode Island, a vibrant and historic city less than an hour from Boston and three hours from New York. We also have campuses in exciting cities like North Miami, Florida; Denver, Colorado and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Founded in Paris in 1895, Le Cordon Bleu is considered today the largest network of culinary and hospitality schools in the world with more than 35 institutes in 20 countries and 20,000 students of over 100 nationalities are trained every year. Le Cordon Bleu combines innovation and creativity with tradition through its certificates, diplomas, bachelors and master degrees.
For years, culinary and pastry professionals have been graduating from their schools, with many having gone on to achieve personal satisfaction and professional acclaim in establishments and institutions around the country.
The Culinary Institute of America is an American private college and culinary school specializing in culinary, baking, and pastry arts education. The school’s primary campus is located in Hyde Park, New York, with branch campuses in St. Helena and Napa, California, San Antonio, Texas, and the Republic of Singapore.
Founded in 1934, Kendall is the #1 program in Chicago for preparing students for careers in culinary arts and hospitality management—ranked by Chicago Michelin Guide restaurants and Chicago’s leading hotels (KTNS Survey, 2017).
Their degree programs combine a strong academic foundation with transformative practical experience to get students ready for the world.
The New England Culinary Institute is a private for-profit culinary college in Montpelier, Vermont. It was founded on June 15, 1980, by Fran Voigt and John Dranow. The first NECI class, conducted by Chef Michel LeBorgne, had seven students. The enrollment was 500 in 2015.
NECI students, having learned diverse and multifaceted skills, will benefit from the convergence of business acumen and industry readiness to lead in both domestic and international settings.
Their learning environments allow business skills to converge with creativity, creating students who are ready to meet the needs of an ever-changing and globally diverse industry. A strong foundation in technique and fundamental skills merges with a deep understanding of today’s global business needs to provide NECI graduates with the opportunity to inspire, motivate, and guide their creative teams to develop and implement innovative concepts.
The School of Artisan Food is an award-winning charity, dedicated to enthusing and helping people from all walks of life to learn about healthy, sustainable – and delicious – food.
Offering a wide range of over 80 hands-on courses taught by world-class award-winning tutors, we’ll get you truly fired up about the art and business of sustainable artisan food production. From baking and patisserie to cheese-making and butchery; pie-making to brewing, preserving and pickling to foraging or ice cream making; our courses cater for all levels, whether you are a complete beginner or a professional.
ICE, its faculty and alumni have been awarded top honors by industry leaders like the James Beard Foundation, the IACP, The Daily Meal and more. Find out why an ICE education puts you in amazing company.
Alumni
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Their alumni lead the industry — running top kitchens around the globe, winning awards and transforming the future of culinary innovation. 92% report that their ICE education has proved somewhat or very important to their careers.
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ICE externships put you in the job market where you want to be. More than half lead to permanent job offers. In the last two years, ICE placed students in over 300 different establishments, prompting praise from industry leaders.
Testimonials
"An ICE education is one of the most rewarding, awe-inspiring investments you can make in yourself. From day one you become part of a broad network of creative classmates, industry influencers and a team of staff dedicated to helping you succeed."
“As a dual Culinary and Culinary Management student, ICE provided exactly the foundation I was looking for to transition seamlessly into the food industry. The instructors, advisors, curriculum, volunteer opportunities, and facilities all played impactful roles in my culinary school experience, and I felt better prepared to approach my new career with confidence.”
“I love to be a small part in other people’s happiness. ICE is opening my eyes to all sides of the business in a timeline that allows me to work full time as well. ICE is teaching me how to keep focused on my vision and manage all the details of it.”
“I know I’ll succeed in the pastry world.”
Calvin Luk – Pastry & Baking Arts ’17
Hong Kong-born Calvin Luk took a taste of a cup of hot chocolate and he knew he needed to become a world-class chocolatier. “I had been studying chocolate making for some time before I enrolled at ICE,” Calvin says. “But it wasn’t until I met Chef Michael Laiskonis that I realized there was so much more to learn.” Calvin saw ICE’s bean-to-bar chocolate lab and knew this was the school where he wanted to advance his career as a pastry chef. With lessons with ICE chef-instructors, volunteer opportunities with esteemed chefs and his growing levels of comfort in professional kitchens, Calvin is primed for the professional pastry world.
Dreaming of Culinary School for 15 Years
Kelly Newsome – Culinary Arts ’17
For 15 years, Kelly Newsome dreamed of going to culinary school. Though her infatuation with food and cooking was sparked during college, various factors (like all-too-common concerns from family and friends) pushed her off that track and into office jobs. It’s not an uncommon situation, but what set Kelly apart was her tenacity — it drove her to take small steps toward achieving her ultimate goal. Finally, at age 38, Kelly decided she couldn’t ignore her dreams any longer, and enrolled in ICE’s Culinary Arts program. “I just realized I’m never going to be happy unless I follow this passion inside me, which is to work in food.”
The Culinary Arts program consists of 650 instructional hours. Students are in the classroom for 440 hours and then complete an externship over the course of 210 hours, acquiring real-world experience in the culinary field.
To provide flexibility, we run several schedule options for our Culinary Arts diploma, including morning, afternoon, evening and weekend schedules. Choose from schedules that meet from two to five times per week.
The Pastry & Baking Arts program consists of 610 instructional hours. Students are in the classroom for 400 hours and on their externships for 210 hours, acquiring real-world experience in the pastry arts.
To provide the utmost flexibility, we run many different schedule options for our Pastry & Baking Arts diploma, including morning, afternoon, evening and weekend schedules. Choose from schedules that meet between two to five times per week.
The Health-Supportive Culinary Arts program consists of 632 instructional hours. Students are in the classroom for 432 hours and then complete an externship over the course of 200 hours, acquiring real-world experience in the culinary field.
To provide flexibility, we run several schedule options for our Health-Supportive Culinary Arts diploma, including morning, afternoon and part-time schedules. Choose from schedules that meet from two to five times per week.
The 316-hour Restaurant & Culinary Management curriculum is comprised of five modules that are divided into nine courses. Classes meet three times a week for 26 to 45 weeks, depending on the schedule. The program starts at least 10 times per year with staggered start dates, offering mornings, afternoons and evenings.
To provide flexibility, we offer various schedule options for our Hospitality & Hotel Management diploma, including morning, afternoon and evening schedules. Choose from schedules that meet three or four times a week.
In 2016, ICE was ranked “The Best Culinary School in America” by The Daily Meal, a prominent food website. ICE was awarded the same title by The Best Schools and EDinformatics, and listed as one of America’s top culinary schools by FSR Magazine. ICE was named Culinary School of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) in 2015, 2011, 2008 and 2003.
ICE graduates have entered the workplace with the foundation and skills to gain experience under culinary leaders as exceptional as Michael Anthony, Daniel Boulud, Tom Colicchio, Danny Meyer, Missy Robbins, Marcus Samuelsson, Ivy Stark and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
In Downtown Manhattan, ICE’s New York City location was designed with community and creativity in mind. ICE students experience distinct opportunities for culinary discovery and innovation in our bean-to-bar Chocolate Lab, Hydroponic Garden, Mixology Center and Culinary Technology Lab. New York City is the home of acclaimed international restaurants, gourmet markets and leading food media outlets.
An ICE education includes a real-world externship. In the past four years, 1,500 students externed at more than 300 establishments. ICE’s Career Service advisors support students in the process of identifying potential externship sites to fit each student’s personal and professional goals. This in-the-field training consistently proves to be an exceptional opportunity for hands-on experience, networking at the heart of the industry and concrete references for job interviews. Often, students get job offers from their externships.
The ICE Career Services department has a full-time staff dedicated to guiding graduates who want a job in the field to get a job in the field and that alumni careers stay on track, even long after graduation. This includes weekly alumni emails with dozens of job openings, regular pop-up recruiting events on campus and an annual alumni party. Career Services hosts two career fairs a year with leading restaurants, bakeries, hotels and other employers interested in meeting ICE students and graduates. It’s an investment we believe is a crucial part of the recipe for success that you should expect from a culinary school.
While ICE’s culinary curriculum is grounded in classic French technique, it also offers the opportunity to explore global foods, including the cuisines of Italy, China, Thailand, India and more. Their strong emphasis on quality sourcing means that you’ll cook these dishes with ingredients from the same local purveyors who cater to the city’s finest restaurants — or their own Hydroponic Garden!
Cooking and baking can be creative forms of expression and pleasing guests can be gratifying for those in the hospitality sector. However, long-term viability depends upon a sound business plan. ICE’s Restaurant & Culinary Management program is accredited and designed to prepare students to own, manage or operate a food business. Taught by former restaurant owners and managers who are still active consultants in the field, the program treats New York City as a classroom with guest lectures from industry leaders and field trips.
For decades, ICE alumni have won local, regional and national awards from a broad range of organizations, magazines and trade groups. The list includes the James Beard Foundation, Michelin Guide, Food & Wine magazine, Dessert Professional magazine, Women Chefs & Restaurateurs, Forbes, the American Culinary Federation and the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP).
Esteemed chefs — like Michael Laiskonis, former executive pastry chef at the acclaimed Le Bernardin; Kathryn Gordon, named a Top Ten Pastry Chef in America by Dessert Professional; Barry Tonkinson, who trained in Michelin-starred restaurants in London; and Ted Seigel, who worked with Alice Waters at Chez Panisse — are just a few of the experienced professionals teaching in ICE’s kitchen classrooms. It isn’t easy to earn a position instructing at ICE. They set high standards for skill, knowledge, expertise, passion, and of course, a love for teaching. In their management programs, many of the instructors are active consultants and have held management positions in the field.
ICE is grounded in culinary and pastry career training, but over the years, the school has added specialized diploma programs in management and hospitality. The Hospitality & Hotel Management program prepares students for diverse career paths in hotels, restaurant groups, special events, tourism and more. In 2019, ICE introduced Health-Supportive Culinary Arts, based on the Natural Gourmet Institute’s plant-forward curriculum. The program’s food-and-healing coursework focuses on the nutritional aspects of ingredients and cooking techniques and how to use those to best benefit health.
In addition to career training programs, ICE offers hundreds of recreational cooking, baking, business management, wine and mixology classes each season, in addition to continuing education for industry professionals. Classes have included Essentials of Moroccan Cooking, Gluten-Free Bread, How to Write a Recipe, Cuban Surf & Turf, and Molecular Mixology. They regularly host demos, guest lectures and greenmarket tours, and there are regular opportunities to volunteer with chefs at external events or venues like the James Beard House, where guest chefs from around America are invited to cook.
ICE offers morning, afternoon, evening and weekend class schedules starting every month throughout the year. These unique schedules are designed to make it as easy as possible for you to fit culinary or management training into your busy life and accommodate families, jobs and other obligations while earning a diploma in as little as seven months. This flexibility also makes dual diplomas a convenient option.
From award-winning chefs and food media pros to test kitchen directors and food entrepreneurs, their alumni continue to rank among the most noteworthy names in food and hospitality.
ICE is one of the best and most diverse culinary schools in the word today, offering a global curriculum, dedicated chef-instructors, a strong job placement record and a clear entrepreneurial focus. ICE is recognized by top chefs and hospitality professionals as a leading pathway to beginning or continuing a wide range of culinary and hospitality careers.
Fernando Camacho
He is a crazy shopper, loves drinking in pubs and clubs, shopping trendy outlets online, grocery shopping to his door and catching Uber. Also dabbles in setting up online stores through eBay, Amazon marketplaces and has a marketing and commerce background.