Chef Training Schools in California
California may have the largest number of top name culinary schools in the country. If you’re a student chef, fresh from high school OR a professional it’s important that you grasp all of the benefits in getting a chef’s education in the state.
Here are some of the huge benefits to you as a chef student in Cali:
- Top California culinary arts schools
- Celebrity chefs galore
- Diverse culinary scene from end to end
- Wide spectrum of job opps
- Regional professional organizations
- Competitions and industry publicity
California Culinary Scene Stealer
When you think California cooking you might immediately imagine outrageous, maverick, too natural to be edible, and while these may be valid descriptors for some menus you’ll discover that California’s culinary scene is vivid, dynamic, down to earth, ethnic and some of the best in the world.
Think about it: you could potentially land an internship as a cook or chef at a leading restaurant in San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, or Hollywood. Certainly any chef job in the state puts you in the same locale as many of the award-winning chefs in the country. In fact, make part of your culinary education a personal sojourn into local eateries, a drenching in seasonal menus, the work of innovative chefs, and discoveries of eclectic new flavor combinations in out of the way bistros and cafes. Then, take that experiential mental note-taking back to the student kitchen and forge your own culinary path in life.
Wine and Food
If you don’t realize the value of California wine country then you’re missing the other half of the culinary scene in this part of the country. Napa and Sonoma have earned their spot on the oenological map. Award-winning reds and whites nearly pour from the ground as finally the experience of winemaker and “terroir” marry.
Popular annual industry festivals include:
- California Wine Festival, San Diego
- Uncorked! San Francisco Wine Festival
- Western Food Service and Hospitality Expo
California: Culinary Bread Basket
California is also a huge food producer. One long drive through the Central Valley and you see how key this region is in the American culinary landscape. Important crops include: raisins, avocadoes, grapes, almonds, and citrus fruits. Regional chefs are onto the use of locally grown, organic, fresh and seasonal as crucial menu components.
California chef competitions to which you should aspire:
- Sushi Masters Competition
- Best Teen Chef Competition
- California Date Chef Competition
- S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition
Popular California Culinary Arts Schools
Kitchen Academy – Sacramento – Diplomas in Professional Culinary Arts and Professional Baking and Pastry
International Culinary Schools at the Art Institutes – Los Angeles – degree programs include: Bachelors in Culinary Management, Associates Baking and Pastry, Associates Culinary Arts, Art of Cooking diploma, Baking and Pastry diploma.
International Culinary Schools at the Art Institutes – Sacramento – degrees: Bachelors Culinary Management, Associates in Culinary Arts, Art of Cooking Diploma, Baking and Pastry Diploma.
International Culinary Schools at the Art Institutes – San Bernardino/Inland Empire – degrees: Bachelors Culinary Management, Associates Culinary Arts.
International Culinary Schools at the Art Institutes – San Diego – degrees: Bachelors Culinary Management, Associates Baking and Pastry, Associates Culinary Arts.
International Culinary Schools at the Art Institutes – San Francisco – degrees: Bachelors Culinary Management, Associates Culinary Arts.
International Culinary Schools at the Art Institutes – Santa Ana/Orange County – degrees: Bachelors Culinary Management, Associates Baking and Pastry, Associates Culinary Arts, Art of Cooking Diploma, Baking and Pastry Diploma.
International Culinary Schools at the Art Institutes – Sunnyvale – degrees: Bachelors Culinary Management, Associates Culinary Arts.
California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu – San Francisco – Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts, Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie and Baking.
California School of Culinary Arts, Le Cordon Bleu – Pasadena – programs include: Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Diploma, Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie and Baking Diploma, Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality and Restaurant Management Associates degree.
San Diego Culinary Institute – San Diego – programs include: Commis de Cuisine, Commis de Patisserie.
The Professional Culinary Institute – Campbell – programs include: Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry, Hospitality, Sommelier.
Chef Eric’s Culinary Classroom - Los Angeles – professional programs include: Culinary Chef 1, Culinary Chef II, Culinary Baking I, Culinary Baking II, Culinary Basics, and Culinary Crash Course.
Living Light Culinary Arts Institute – Fort Bragg - offers unique culinary arts programs for professional and student chefs, as well as motivated cooking enthusiasts. Programs include: Gourmet Chef, Associate Chef, and Raw Culinary Arts Professional Chef.
California State Colleges, Community and Technical Colleges Offering Culinary, Restaurant Management, and/or Hospitality Degrees
American River College - Sacramento
Bakersfield College – Bakersfield
Bauman College – Penngrove
Cabrillo College – Aptos
Cerritos College – Norwalk
Chaffey Community College – Rancho Cucamonga
City College of San Francisco - San Francisco
College of the Desert – Palm Desert
Contra Costa College – San Pablo
Cypress College – Cypress
Diablo Valley College – Pleasant Hill, San Ramon
Glendale Community College – Glendale
Grossmont College – El Cajon
Institute of Technology – Clovis, Modesto, Roseville
Laguna Culinary Arts Professional School - Laguna Beach
Lake Tahoe Community College - South Lake Tahoe
Long Beach City College – Long Beach
Los Angeles Trade Tech – Los Angeles
Merced College – Merced
Mission College – Santa Clara
Modesto Junior College - Modesto
Orange Coast College – Costa Mesa
Pasadena City College – Pasadena
Quality College of Culinary Careers – Fresno
Riverside Community College – Riverside
San Bernardino Valley College – San Bernardino
San Diego Mesa College – San Diego
San Joaquin Delta College – Stockton
Santa Barbara City College – Santa Barbara
Santa Rosa Junior College – Santa Rosa
Shasta College – Redding
Victor Valley College – Victorville
West Valley Occupational Center - Woodland Hills