The Culinary Institute of America facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
The Culinary Institute of America

Former name	New Haven Restaurant Institute (1946–1947) Restaurant Institute of Connecticut (1947–1951)
Type	Private culinary school
Established	May 22, 1946; 79 years ago (May 22, 1946)
Founders	Frances Roth, Katharine Angell
Endowment	$138.3 million (2019)
Chairman	Jon L. Luther
President	L. Timothy Ryan
Provost	Mark Erickson
Academic staff	170
Undergraduates	2,918 (Fall 2016)
Location	Hyde Park , New York , United States 41°44′45″N 73°56′0″W / 41.74583°N 73.93333°W / 41.74583; -73.93333
Colors	Sage Green and Fire Gold
Nickname	Steels
Sporting affiliations	HVIAC
Mascot	Sting

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is a special private college in the United States. It teaches students all about cooking, baking, and making pastries. It's one of the best places to learn how to become a chef!

The main campus is in Hyde Park, New York. There are also other campuses in California (St. Helena and Napa), Texas (San Antonio), and Singapore. The CIA was the very first school in the U.S. to teach culinary arts. It offers different degrees, from associate to master's degrees. Many of the teachers are Certified Master Chefs, which is a very high honor in cooking! The CIA also has fun cooking classes for people who just love to cook, even if they don't want to be a professional chef. Plus, students get to run real restaurants on the U.S. campuses.

The school started in 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut. It was first a training school for soldiers returning from World War II. As more students wanted to learn, the school bought a bigger place in Hyde Park, New York, in 1970. This is still its main campus today. The CIA started giving out associate degrees in 1971 and bachelor's degrees in 1993. They even added master's degrees in 2018. Over the years, more campuses opened in California (1995), Texas (2008), Singapore (2010), and Napa (2016).

History of the CIA
CIA Campuses
How the CIA is Organized
- Teachers and Staff
What Students Learn
Student Life
CIA's Brand and Products
Special Events
Famous People from the CIA
Images for kids
See also

History of the CIA

The Davies Mansion in 1964, when the CIA used it.

Roth Hall, a main building at the Hyde Park campus.

The New Haven Restaurant Institute was started by Frances Roth and Katharine Angell on May 22, 1946. It was in New Haven, Connecticut. This school was created to train veterans coming home from World War II. It was the first college in the United States focused on cooking.

With help from Yale University, the school bought a large house called the Davies mansion. The first class had 16 students. The teachers included a dietitian, a baker, and a chef. In 1947, the school changed its name to the Restaurant Institute of Connecticut. Then, in 1951, it became The Culinary Institute of America.

By 1969, about 1,000 students were enrolled. The original campus was too small. So, in 1970, the school bought a former Jesuit building in Hyde Park, New York. In 1971, the college started offering associate degrees. The new Hyde Park campus opened in 1972.

Over the next few years, the school built more dorms, a library, and career centers. Famous restaurants like American Bounty and Caterina de' Medici opened on campus. These restaurants helped students get real-world experience. In 1990, a baking and pastry facility opened. In 1993, the school started offering bachelor's degree programs.

In 1995, the CIA opened its first branch campus. This was the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, California. More facilities were added, like the Apple Pie Bakery Café in 2000. In 2008, the third campus opened in San Antonio, Texas. Two years later, a campus opened in Singapore.

The CIA kept adding new degree programs. In 2012, they started a bachelor's degree in culinary science. In 2014, they added a bachelor's in applied food studies. In 2015, the college bought part of Copia, a museum in Napa, California. In 2016, a new campus opened there, called the Culinary Institute of America at Copia. This campus is home to the CIA's Food Business School. In 2018, the CIA started offering master's degrees in Food Business and Wine Management.

CIA Campuses

The Marriott Pavilion, behind Roth Hall

Student Commons

Hyde Park, New York Campus

The Conrad N. Hilton Library.

The Hyde Park campus is the biggest CIA campus. It has four public restaurants where students can practice their skills.

The American Bounty Restaurant serves food from the Hudson Valley.
The Bocuse Restaurant offers traditional French food with modern twists. It was named after famous chef Paul Bocuse.
The Ristorante Caterina de' Medici focuses on Italian cuisine.
The Apple Pie Bakery Café is a more casual place to eat.

The campus also has "pop-up" restaurants, like the Post Road Brew House. These change often, giving students new experiences. Students can also join sports teams, both for fun (intramural) and against other colleges (intercollegiate).

Napa County, California Campuses

The main building in St. Helena, California.

The CIA has two campuses in Napa County, California.

The campus in St. Helena is called the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. It offers associate degrees and special courses. It also has classes for wine professionals.
The campus in the city of Napa is called the Culinary Institute of America at Copia. This campus opened in 2016 and is home to the CIA's Food Business School.

Both California campuses have restaurants where students work. The Gatehouse Restaurant at Greystone serves modern dishes. The Bakery Café by illy has baked goods made by students. The Copia campus also has a restaurant called the Restaurant at CIA Copia. Copia often hosts food and wine events, classes, and conferences.

San Antonio, Texas Campus

The CIA San Antonio.

The San Antonio campus is in Downtown San Antonio at the Pearl Brewery. It offers associate degrees in culinary arts and baking. It also has programs for professionals and people who just love food. The campus restaurant, Savor, serves dishes inspired by flavors from all over the world.

Singapore Campus

The CIA works with the Singapore Institute of Technology and Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore. They offer a bachelor's degree program in Culinary Arts Management. This program is for students who have already studied hospitality or culinary arts. They built a special facility with three teaching kitchens for these programs.

How the CIA is Organized

The Culinary Institute of America is a nonprofit organization. It is run by a group of 24 people called the board of trustees. These people help make big decisions for the college, like setting tuition fees and planning new buildings.

The college's president is L. Timothy Ryan. He is a graduate of the school himself! The president works with a team of vice presidents and other leaders. The school has many different departments to help with all the cooking classes and restaurants.

The official school colors are green and gold. These colors were chosen because they are common food colors. The school's logo even includes a stalk of wheat!

Teachers and Staff

The CIA has about 150 full-time teachers. Many of these teachers are chefs! Some are even Certified Master Chefs, which is a very high achievement. Others are Master Bakers. Many teachers have also written cookbooks or articles for magazines. A lot of the instructors are graduates of the CIA themselves.

What Students Learn

Teaching kitchens at the Greystone campus.

The Gatehouse Restaurant, Greystone's student-run restaurant.

The CIA offers many different degrees. Students can earn associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees. For most programs, students must complete a 15-week internship. This internship is at a real restaurant or food business approved by the CIA. The school's degree programs are officially recognized by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

The Food Business School

In 2015, the CIA opened the Food Business School. This school is for people who want to learn about the business side of food. The teachers here come from top universities and are experts in the food industry. The school offers online classes and short programs. It helps people get certificates in food business.

Other Programs and Classes

The CIA also offers other programs for people who want to keep learning.

They have classes for professionals who want to improve their skills.
They also have fun cooking classes for anyone who loves food.
The CIA even partnered with Epicurious to offer online cooking classes.
The school has a special program called ProChef. This program helps chefs show off their cooking skills and business knowledge.

The California campus has a special program for students who already have a bachelor's degree. This program helps them learn culinary skills faster.

Conferences and Events

The CIA hosts many events for people in the food industry. These events focus on different topics like world cuisines, healthy eating, and how food affects our health. Some popular events include the Worlds of Flavor International Conference and Festival.

Libraries and Museums

The main library at the Hyde Park campus is the Conrad N. Hilton Library. It has special collections, including an ancient Roman amphora (a type of jar). It also has old menus from famous restaurants.

The Greystone campus in California has its own library called the Margie Schubert Library.

The CIA also has a museum at its Copia campus in Napa. It's called the Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum.

Student Life

The Culinary Institute of America accepts most students who apply. It's not super hard to get in. For example, in Fall 2017, 94% of students who applied were accepted. The school looks at your grades and test scores, but they also care about your passion for food!

In Fall 2016, there were about 2,774 undergraduate students. Many students come from New York, but also from California, New Jersey, and Texas. About 12% of students are from other countries. The average age of students is 22 years old. Most students live in college housing.

The school has different areas of study. Students can focus on culinary arts, baking and pastry, business, or food studies.

The cost of tuition changes each year. The school tries to help students with financial aid. In 2017, the average financial aid package was about $13,950. Most students who needed help received it. After graduating, most students find full-time jobs within six months.

CIA's Brand and Products

The CIA has its own brand of products. They sell things for kitchens and homes. They also publish cookbooks for both professional chefs and home cooks. Their main cookbook, The Professional Chef, even has an interactive iPad version! In the past, the CIA also had a TV show called Cooking Secrets of the CIA on PBS.

Special Events

Since 2007, the CIA hosts the CIA Leadership Awards every year. This event honors people who have done great things in the food industry. It's also a fundraiser to help students get scholarships. The award given is called the Augie Award, named after a famous French chef, Auguste Escoffier. Famous people like Jacques Pépin and Martha Stewart have received this award.

The CIA also hosts the Thomas Keller Golf Classic. This is a golf event and fundraiser for student scholarships. It's named after the famous chef Thomas Keller.

Famous People from the CIA

The CIA has about 50,000 graduates who work in the food world. Many of them are very famous chefs and food experts!

Images for kids

Anthony Bourdain, a famous chef and TV host.