Welcome to The FCI

If you have a passion for food and dreams of success, you belong at The FCI.
At our New York and California campuses, we’ll train you for an exhilarating career—and the start of a truly fulfilling new life—in just six months (or nine, if you train at night). You can also take an informative amateur or specialized training course, and learn in the same kitchens, with the same distinguished chef-instructors who train our career students. New courses start every six weeks. Are you ready?

A Message from Dorothy Cann Hamilton

Over 25 years ago, I founded The French Culinary Institute in New York City with a single goal: To create a world-class culinary school that blended classic French techniques with American inventiveness through an exciting, fast-paced curriculum.

Today, The French Culinary Institute continues grow and evolve, with locations on two coasts and innovative curricula that push the boundaries of culinary education.

The FCI name is legendary, as are our incomparable staff and renowned graduates. Our world-class faculty includes the likes of master chefs Alain Sailhac, Jacques Pépin, André Soltner, and Jacques Torres, while star alumni (like pop-icon David Chang) stop by to give insightful and entertaining lectures. Tomorrow's culinary leaders are training here, right now.

Using a rigorous, hands-on curriculum called Total Immersion^SM, chef-instructors propel our career students into the workplace after just six intense months of classes (or nine months at night). Your training here will be fast and in-depth, and it will consist of more than just French cooking. You’ll learn the building blocks of modern Western culinary technique.

All our programs are driven by the same passion and intensity. Culinary arts students sharpen their skills, learning the techniques that will prepare them for fast-paced careers in the industry. Our pastry arts curriculum covers the full repertoire, from breakfast pastries to plated desserts, and has students graduate ready to step into today's high-end kitchens and bakeries. Our Art of International Bread Baking course is one of the world's most highly sought-after career programs of its kind. Challenging Specialized Training and Amateur courses run the gamut from cake design to wine studies.

Best of all, our graduates tend to be scooped up by top-rated restaurants, bakeries, and food-related businesses almost immediately after graduation (and sometimes even before). Employers want the best, and know they'll find them here.

I invite you to meet our faculty, tour our facilities, and delve into our programs. And if you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to having the opportunity to help you become your best and realize your dreams.