New York’s French Culinary Institute

The French Culinary Institute in New York City is one of the most highly respected culinary schools in the world. This is rather remarkable if only because the program is so short in duration, 6 months for the day program, 9 months if you take it by night. But the high post-graduation job placement attests to the respect this school has attained within the industry. The focus is on traditional French cuisine and cooking methods.

The Birth of the French Culinary Institute

Dorothy Cann Hamilton, the CEO and founder of the French Culinary Institute (FCI), was born and bred in Brooklyn, NY and would seem an unlikely candidate to have founded one of the premiere professional french cooking schools in the world. Her father ran a trade school in Brooklyn and she had a very typical Brooklyn upbringing. But in high school Hamilton dreamed of visiting Europe after hearing her grandparents speak of it so wonderfully. She figured the only way to get her parents to pay for the trip was to go to college there so she got herself admitted to a British University. She said in an interview that the two worst things were the weather and the food, and that the British girls didn’t much care for Americans. So Hamilton spent her time with the French girls, who introduced her to cheese that wasn’t orange and soft, and taught her how to make a Dijon vinaigrette. Hamilton, who couldn’t afford to fly home for vacations, ended up spending her vacation time in France with her friends, particularly in Burgundy. This was her introduction to French cuisine, an immersion that was to shape her life.

Hamilton did a stint in the Peace Corps in Thailand, then returned to the States during the early 1970’s recession and ended up working at her father’s school, first as a receptionist and eventually as an expert in student financial aid. Though this was a job she hadn’t planned on and ended up in only because of the tough economic times and the need to pay off her own student loans, she found she enjoyed working with the students and helping to run the school. She earned a seat on the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and also sat on the board of directors for the acrediting agency for all trade schools in the US. This got her an invitation to see top trade schools in Europe which eventually led to a tour of a top professional cooking school run by the French government. When she toured the French chef’s school Hamilton had her light bulb moment.

Upon her return home Hamilton convinced her father that they should open a French cooking school in New York City using the French cooking school she had toured as a model. She paid the French government for the use of their curriculum, she imported some of the French teachers as guest instructors, and she kept a strict handle on quality control.

Thus was the French Culinary Institute born in 1984. The French chefs in New York City went crazy over it. Those who visited and were invited to sit in or guest lecture at classes attested to the fact that this was the exact same training they had received in France. The buzz about the school from the professional community made it a near overnight success, a success that has since been built on with the expansion of the curriculum embodied by the founding of The International Culinary Center and the move to bigger quarters in 2006 with up to date workstations and room for all the different programs now offered under the International Culinary Center umbrella organization.

Not only is Hamilton the CEO of the FCI, she’s also Chairwoman of The James Beard Foundation and was appointed Chairwoman emerita for life. Hamilton was also host of the acclaimed PBS series entitled Chef’s Story, a series of interviews with 27 top chefs. Any one of the many awards she’s been given would make any culinary education professional proud. She’s been awarded Chevalier du Mérite Agricole (Agricultural Merit Knighthood) from the French government, the Outstanding American Educator award from Madrid Fusion, the Silver Spoon Award from Food Arts magazine, and the prestigious Ordre National du Mérite (National Order of Merit Award) from the French government, to name just a few.

The Background and History of The French Culinary Institute

When she founded the school, Hamilton decided to follow the fast track total immersion method of culinary education used by the French schools, stressing hands on experience, and following it up with professional experience in a restaurant setting.

Though the school’s focus has always been on traditional French cuisine, the educational approach is to learn French cooking technique in such a way that it can be applied to the creation of any regional cuisine.

While enrolled in the program, students spend 75% of their time in the kitchen workshops, and the student-teacher ratio is 12:1. Students are taught the 250 basic building blocks of Western cuisine. Unlike some of the other top culinary schools, FCI is small enough for students to interface with and get to know most members of the faculty.

Most students at FCI are career changers who have left a former occupation in favor of pursuing their true passion. The maturity level and passion of the student body, the professionalism of the faculty, the intensity of the program and the location within the heart of one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world combines to create an energy level in the school that is very hard to beat.

With the founding of the school in 1984 also came the opening of L’ecole Restaurant. L’ecole is where students work to sharpen their skills in a production setting. Students work at every station in the kitchen as the last third of their training program, a work stint that ensures they are industry-ready upon graduation. The restaurant has consistently received topnotch ratings from both Zagat and Michelin, and has excellent diner reviews on Yelp.com. When you consider how tough and exacting the New York restaurant crowd and reviewers are and the standards already set by the many fine dining establishments in Manhattan, this feat becomes even more remarkable.

With the fast growth of FCI also came an awareness of a need for quality instruction for the hobbyist and for young people. When the school expanded its mission and its quarters in 2006, it addressed that need with the opening of the recreational division, which offers topnotch evening workshop instruction for amateur cooks and for working professionals who may want to brush up or expand their skill set. These workshops are taught by some of the best in the industry.

The Italian Culinary Academy was also founded at that time, which offers a program of learning called the Italian Culinary Experience, starting at the New York school and then proceeding on to Parma, Italy at ALMA, the International School of Italian Cuisine. The course culminates in a nine week work study in one of a variety of top restaurants in Italy. The course stresses immersion in the culture, the language, and the food, tying them all together into a top drawer learning experience. The curriculum was designed by Chef Cesare Casella, the Dean of Italian Studies, former chef of Maremma and Beppe in Manhattan.

FCI has always consistently invested in its facilities, so that students are working in the most up-to-date best quality kitchen workshops, featuring Jade ranges and Winkler Wachtel deck ovens. There’s also a state-of-the-art Culinary Theater, where students can observe prominent guest chefs demonstrating techniques, new ideas and presentation tricks. This amphitheater has been used as the setting for culinary contests, a PBS cooking series, and was at one time home of the New York Times online cooking class.

The most important part of the French Culinary Institute experience is the talent and experience in both the art of french cuisine and in teaching that art that is shared by all members of the FCI faculty. The faculty is world-class.

• Alain Sailhac, Executive VP, Dean Emeritus. Sailhac garnered four stars at two different Manhattan restaurants of note, Le Cygne and Le Cirque. Saihac supervises the faculty, students and the day-to-day operations, and also offers career counseling to students.
• Master Chef Jacques Pépin, Dean of Special Programs. Former personal chef to three French heads of state, award-winning PBS tv host, and bestselling cookbook author. He provides cooking demonstrations and often consults with students.
• Master Chef Jacques Torres Dean of Pastry Arts. Former executive pastry chef of Le Cirque and James Beard Foundation award winner. Responsible for developing the classic pastry arts curriculum.
• Master Chef André Soltner, Dean of Classic Studies. Chef and Founding Owner of the legendary NY four star restaurant Lutéce. Divides his time between cooking demonstrations and career advising.
• Chef Nils Norén, VP of Culinary and Pastry Arts. Former Executive Chef at Aquavit in NYC.
• Alan Richman, Dean of Food Journalism. James Beard Foundation Journalism Award winner 12 times, and former restaurant critic for GQ.

Influential Alumni of the French Culinary Institute

• Chef Bobby Flay, Iron Chef and television personality, owner of ten premier restaurants and former host of seven Food Network programs. Flay was also featured on the Great Chefs PBS tv series hosted by Dorothy Cann Hamilton. Flay’s partnership with Giada DeLaurentiis on the Iron Man show, facing off against Rachael Ray and Mario Batali was the highest rated show ever broadcast on the food network. Flay has authored several bestselling cookbooks, and won numerous awards, including James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Chef of 1993.
• Chef Lee Ann Wong, culinary producer for Bravo Network’s Top Chef, and blogger for the show. She also does a popular webcast, Top Recipe: The Wong Way to Cook. Former Executive Chef of Event Operations for FCI. Wong started at the Fashion Institute of Technology, but transferred to FCI. Her fashion background has allowed her to apply her design skills to styling food for the show. She also does chef consulting for filmmakers.
• Chef Daisy Martínez, tv personality and host of the PBS tv show Daisy Cooks! Martínez also manages a catering business in NYC, The Passionate Palate. Martínez has authored bestselling cookbooks, one of which was an IACP nominee and winner of the Best Latino Cuisine Cookbook in the World by Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. Martínez is also a regular contributor to Every Day with Rachael Ray.
• Chef David Chang Owner and Chef of the Momofuku Noodle Bar and the Momofuku Ssam Bar in Manhattan. Chang was named Best New Chef by Food & Wine in 2006, and was nominated that same year for the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Chef of the Year award. In 2007 Bon Appetit named Chang Chef of the Year. Chang’s self-proclaimed mission is to raise Korean and Japanese street food to the level of haute cuisine. The New York Times rates Momofuku at three stars despite its unusual cuisine.
• Chef Michelle Doll, owner and chef of Michelle Doll Cakes. Doll’s exquisite sugar art creations have been featured in Modern Bride, La Bella Bride, Elegant Bride, New York Magazine’s Wedding Edition, and The Knot. She’s also done guest appearances on Style Network’s Whose wedding is it Anyway? and participated in the Food Network’s Sweet 16 Challenge.
• Chef Wylie Dufresne, Owner and Chef of wd-50 in Manhattan. Many times nominated for awards by the James Beard Foundation, Food and Wine named him one of 2001 America’s Ten Best Chefs. In 2006 New York Magazine placed wd-50 at #4 in its list of New York’s 101 best retaurants. He’s appeared on Iron Chef, on Bravo’s Top Chef, and was invited to participate on Top Chef Masters in 2009.
• Chef Dan Barber, executive chef and co-owner of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Westchester and Blue Hill in Manhattan. Barber not only cooks the food, he supervises the raising of all of it on the farm, bringing a new meaning to the term “fresh” and living an experiment in sustainable living and eating. The use of heritage seed and lifestock strains are helping him to create new flavors out of ancient stock. David Rockefeller is one of the farm’s investors. Barber was a former chef at La Cigale in Manhattan and was named one of the Best New Chefs of 2002 by Food and Wine. In 2009 Barber was named Top Chef in America by the James Beard Foundation, and was listed in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2009.

The French Culinary Institute’s Sister Schools

• The Italian Culinary Academy
• The International Culinary Center
  • The Recreational Division
• Food Journalism and New Media Division

Programs offered by the French Culinary Institute

• Classic Culinary Arts & Classic Pastry Arts
  • Six Months: Train every day for a total of 600 hours.
  • Nine Months: The same 600 hour curriculum spread over evening and weekend classes
• The Art of International Bread Baking
  • Day and evening programs available for the 240 hour 8 week intensive program.
• Advanced Studies (partial list, constantly evolving)
  • Restaurant Management
  • Hydrocolloids
  • Fundamentals of Wine
  • Sous-Vide Intensive
  • Harold McGee Lecture Series

Programs at the Italian Culinary Academy

• Essentials of Italian Cooking, 40 hours, 8 classes
• Italian Culinary Experience, 291 hours in New York, 402 hours at ALMA in Italy, 360 work experience hours in Italy

Programs at the International Culinary Center

The International Culinary Center offers recreational workshops through the recreational division for amateur cooks and professionals who wish to polish a specific skill. Most, but not all, of these worshops are single session workshops of a few hours’ duration.

The International Culinary Center also offers classes through their food journalism & new media division.

• Culinary Courses through the Recreational Division
  • Food Technology for the Home Cook
  • Handmade Pasta
  • Handmade Pasta for Future Chefs
  • Knife Skills, Deboning & Filleting
  • Master Class with André Softner
  • Mastering Basic Sushi
  • Pasta, Pizza, Polenta & More
  • Pizza 101 for Future Chefs
  • Springtime in the Japanese Kitchen
  • Tapas Essentials
  • The Secrets of Spices
  • Cooking Camp for Teens
• Pastry & Bread Courses
  • Breakfast Breads, Pastries & More
  • Chocolate Desserts
  • Chocolate Treats & Truffles
  • Classic Croissants
  • Cream Puffs, Eclairs & More
  • Doughnuts, Fritters & More
  • La Dolce Vita: Italian Pastries
  • Madeleines & Macaroons
  • Parisian Breads
  • Tarts & More
  • The New York Bagel
  • The Perfect Baguette
• Classes for Teens
  • Cooking Camp for Teens
  • Pizza 101 for Future Chefs
• Beverage Courses
  • Coffee Expert: From Plant to Cup
  • Food & Wine pairing
  • Green Wines Demystified
  • High-Tech Cocktails
  • Tea Tasting with Harney & Sons
  • Wines of Napa Valley with Jennifer Desmond
  • Wine Uncorked

• Food Journalism & New Media Courses
  • The Craft of Food Writing, 6 classes 2.5 hours each
  • Food Blogging with Steven Shaw, 6 classes 2.25 hours each