The International Culinary Center (originally known as the French Culinary Institute) was a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

for-profit Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." A business entity is not necessari ...

culinary school A cooking school is an institution devoted to education in the art and science of cooking and food preparation. There are many different types of cooking schools around the world, some devoted to training professional chefs, others aimed at amat ...

from 1984 to 2020 headquartered in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, New York. The facilities included professional kitchens for hands-on cooking and baking classes,

wine tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...

classrooms, a library, theater, and event spaces. The school merged with the

Institute of Culinary Education The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) is a private for-profit culinary school with locations in New York City and Los Angeles, accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). It offers career training, dip ...

in 2020.

History

The International Culinary Center was founded by

Dorothy Cann Hamilton Dorothy Cann Hamilton (August 25, 1949 – September 16, 2016) was the founder and CEO of the International Culinary Center, which she founded as The French Culinary Institute (FCI) in 1984. She was also president of the Friends of the USA Pavilio ...

in 1984 as the French Culinary Institute. When the school first opened, it was visited by chef

Julia Child Julia Carolyn Child (Birth name#Maiden and married names, née McWilliams; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for having brought French cuisine to the American pu ...

, who reportedly arranged to have the school profiled on ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

'' one week later. In 2020, the International Culinary Center combined with the

, citing issues related to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

for its closure.

Locations

The International Culinary Center had two campuses, one in

and the other in the

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...

area. The New York City location included the L'Ecole restaurant on the ground floor as well as a ''Culinary Theater'' that hosted events, forums, and lectures from graduates. The International Culinary Center was also home to FCI Catering & Events, which created and catered both on- and off-premises private events. Its California location opened in 2011 in Campbell, in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

. The facilities consisted of kitchens, a library, theaters, an event space and a wine tasting room. The facility was the former location of the Professional Culinary Institute.

Notable alumni

Angie Mar Angie Mar (born 1982) is an American chef and restaurateur. She owns and operates Le B in New York City. Career Mar was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. Before becoming a chef, she was based in Los Angeles as a real estate agent. She m ...

Antonia Lofaso Antonia Marie Lofaso (born November 23, 1976) is an American celebrity chef and restaurateur. She has appeared on the reality television shows ''Top Chef'', '' Chopped'', ''Cutthroat Kitchen'' and ''Restaurant Startup'', among others. Lofaso ow ...

Bobby Flay Robert William "Bobby" Flay (born December 10, 1964) is an American celebrity chef, food writer, restaurateur, and Television presenter, television personality. Flay is the owner and Chef de cuisine, executive chef of several restaurants and fr ...

, alumnus of the 1st class in 1984 *

Carla Lalli Music Carla Lalli Music (born August 15, 1972) is an American chef, cookbook author, and YouTube personality. She was a food editor at large of ''Bon Appétit'' and was known for her appearances in videos produced for the magazine's YouTube channel, ...

* Chris Morocco * Christina Tosi * Dan Barber *

David Chang David Chang (; ; born August 5, 1977) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, author, podcaster, and television personality. He is the founder of the Momofuku restaurant group. In 2009, his restaurant Momofuku Ko was awarded two Michelin st ...

Gilat Bennett Gilat Ethel Bennett (Hebrew: גילת אתל בנט; ''née'' Einav; born 12 May 1977) is an Israeli pastry chef and parent counselor who is the wife of former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Biography Gilat Einav was born in Ramat Ha ...

* Kate Williams *

Lara Trump Lara Lea Trump ( Yunaska; born October 12, 1982) is an American political figure who is the former co-chair of the Republican National Committee. She is married to Eric Trump, the third child of U.S. President Donald Trump. She was the producer ...

Lee Anne Wong Lee Anne Wong is an American chef, restaurateur, a television culinary producer, and television figure. She has appeared as a competitor on reality television cooking competitions, and she is a ''Top Chef'' television series alum. Wong was based ...

* Travis London * Wylie Dufresne

References

External links

* {{authority control Universities and colleges in Manhattan Cooking schools in the United States Culinary arts 1984 establishments in New York City 2000 disestablishments in New York (state) American companies established in 1984 American companies disestablished in 2000