The CIA Leads the Way
"The first time I visited, I knew I had finally found a school that teaches
the traditions of the world's cuisines...It's the best culinary school
in the world." - Paul Bocuse, world-renowned chef and restaurateur
Innovation in Education
Elevation of the Profession
Innovation of Thought Leadership
Collaborations on Critical Issues
The Legacy of Leadership Continues
Innovation in Education
The mission of The
Culinary Institute of America is to provide the world's best
professional culinary education.
Since its founding in 1946, the CIA has offered education
programs distinguished by their quality, innovation, and resources.
Instruction emphasizes hands-on learning in small class settings,
and innovations have included the creation of hands-on
student-staffed restaurant courses, the introduction of courses in
nutritional cooking and wine studies, the addition of management
studies, and the CIA's unique curricula that assures students build
their knowledge and skills in the ideal learning sequence.
To address the growing responsibilities of foodservice
professionals, the CIA has advanced its education programs in steps
that have given depth of knowledge and stature to CIA graduates.
The college introduced the first associate degree program in culinary arts in 1971. Following this success, an
associate degree in
baking and pastry arts was added in 1990-thereby
establishing both culinary arts and baking and pastry arts majors,
and providing formal degree education for both career paths. The
CIA continued its innovations by offering the first-ever bachelor's degreesin culinary arts or baking and pastry arts management in
1993 so that students would be even more prepared for the
complexity of the food professions and for future leadership in the
industry.
Throughout its history, the CIA developed supporting textbooks
for its programs, including The
Professional Chef, the first and leading culinary
text in higher education, and many specialized texts about the
culinary arts and foodservice management.
Today, CIA programs are recognized internationally for their
excellence. This excellence is backed by the college's
extraordinary faculty and facilities at our campuses in Hyde Park,
NY; St. Helena, CA; San Antonio, TX; and Singapore. The faculty is
comprised of more than 150 chefs and instructors with unrivaled
industry experience in the kitchens, bakeshops, and dining rooms of
famed establishments-from New York City to San Francisco, and
international capitals beyond. And along with Master Chefs and
Bakers, the CIA's renowned teaching team includes PhDs, Culinary
Olympians, authors, Registered Dietitians, and MBAs.
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Elevation of the Profession
When The Culinary Institute of America was founded,
there was a clear need to build a positive image for culinary careers in the
United States. In response, early CIA teaching emphasized the importance of
professional values—addressing behavior, language, work habits, employee
relations, sanitation, and even a strict uniform standard. Today, this focus
has grown to become the five CIA core values that guide both the college and
its graduates: excellence, leadership, professionalism, ethics,
and respect for diversity.
To extend opportunities for continued education to
those working in foodservice, the CIA created accessible, short courses for
professional development. Since 1960, the CIA has provided these continuing
education courses in a program that now serves more than 3,000 professionals a
year.
And American chefs also needed to be elevated to
the same level of respect as their European counterparts. To that end, the CIA
affiliated with the American Culinary Federation to create and administer the
Master Chef examination. The college further designed its own ProChef
certification program for chefs, to validate both skills and
knowledge. Overarching all, the college is proud to recognize excellence in the
culinary profession with its annual CIA Leadership Awards—the "Augies,"
named for legendary French chef Auguste Escoffier.
Now, with added thanks to popular media like the
Food Network, the spotlight shines as never before on food professionals. In
this world, CIA alumni have an extraordinary record of professional achievements. All
reflect the extraordinary breadth of careers that CIA graduates successfully
pursue in the food world.
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Innovation of Thought Leadership
The CIA has led the development of new culinary
knowledge with the innovation of its thought leadership. It has continually
brought forward new insights that advance the way people think about food—from
expanding Americans' understanding of global cuisines to elevating American
cuisine internationally.
Not surprisingly, the curriculum taught by the
early CIA was based on the classic techniques and recipes of Northern Europe.
But, as the United States experienced new waves of immigration, American
culinary professionals needed to broaden their education in global cuisines.
To acknowledge the complexity of these
international cuisines, the CIA innovated its curriculum by dividing world
cuisine studies into separate regional classes—encompassing the Americas, Asia,
and the Mediterranean. The college also added the Caterina
de' Medici Restaurant course, which was launched in 1984 and later
enhanced by the opening of the Colavita Center for Italian Food and Wine.
Then, in 1995, the college added its California
campus—the CIA at Greystone—and created a new center for advanced studies in
global cuisines, flavors, and beverages. Now, the annual Worlds of Flavors
Conference at Greystone is the "thought-leading" forum in America for
world cuisines and emerging food trends.
CIA thought leadership also played a key role in
the American Cuisine movement. By the late 1970s, American chefs needed to
learn about U.S. regional foods to advance their creativity. The college
researched American menus, added American Regional Cooking to the curriculum,
and opened the award-winning American
Bounty Restaurant course in 1982. American Bounty became the CIA's
living laboratory for students to learn about American chefs, products, and
dishes. Today, the appreciation of American cuisine is second nature to both
the college and the culinary profession.
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Collaborations on Critical Issues
The CIA's collaboration with other leading
institutions has launched new learning and sharing on critical issues like
nutrition and diversity.
Nutrition and sanitation have been taught at the
CIA since the early days in New Haven. These studies were further enhanced by
the launch of the General Foods Nutrition Center in 1988 and publication of The Professional Chef's Techniques of Healthy Cooking
in 1993.
As public awareness of health issues grew, the
college launched new initiatives regarding health and nutrition in the American
diet. In 2004, the CIA joined with the Harvard School of Public Health to
present the first Worlds of Healthy Flavors Conference, providing foodservice
leaders with healthy menu options for their use. Then, the CIA entered into a
second partnership with Harvard Medical School to create "Healthy
Kitchens, Healthy Lives." This semi-annual event educates doctors on the
latest nutrition science, and shows them how to help patients choose foods that
reduce disease risk.
Other research initiatives and conferences at the
CIA include the college's collaboration with the University of California,
Davis on food sourcing and sustainability.
A second key industry topic—respect for diversity—is
one of the college's core values. Diversity is reflected throughout the CIA's
student body, faculty, student activities, and the curriculum itself.
Within diversity, there is an ongoing need to raise
the profile of Latin American cuisines and chefs in the United States. The CIA
has responded vigorously with the addition of its CIA, San Antonio campus, in
Texas. Backed by generous philanthropic and business support, its purpose is to
realize a shared dream—to elevate Latin American culinary traditions and
promote the development of Latino chefs. This bold initiative is moving forward
with degree programs, a Latin Cuisines Certificate Program, Latin American
cuisine classes, and conferences.
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The Legacy of Leadership Continues
Only one college—The Culinary Institute of
America—has advanced the food professions and the American diet for over 65 years.
And the CIA vigorously carries forward its legacies of Education, Elevation,
Innovation, and Collaboration in its programs, research, and service—and
through the global impact of its 44,000-plus alumni.
With the support of the foodservice and hospitality
industry, the CIA continues to lead the way, inspiring excellence the world
over. We are confident that the future has never looked better for the world's
premier culinary college and its graduates.
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