Top Culinary Schools in the World

Culinary students who want to broaden their choices from the best domestic programs can look to Paris, Rome and Asia for programs receiving international acclaim. Food magazines and websites name a handful of programs that pass on secrets for preparing the finest ethnic and regional fare. A culinary education at one of these schools can assure you of a world-class level of training.

Italian Options

Barilla Academy in Parma was built on the site of the former Barilla pasta factory. The campus features a 100-seat auditorium and multiple laboratories, including a 16-station professional kitchen laboratory. Classes are in the historic Italian tradition and use traditional Italian products. The school offers certificates in Italian gastronomy, Italian cooking proficiency and for becoming an Italian master chef. The Italian Chef Academy in Rome offers classes for chefs, pastry chefs and a program to become a master of culinary arts. The master program covers kitchen safety and organization in addition to cooking. The academy also offers training in oil and wine tasting.

Food Arts in France

Ferrandi, the French School of Culinary Arts in Paris, offers certificate programs in French cuisine and French pastry baking. Each five-month program is followed by a three- to six-month restaurant internship. The school draws international students, many switching careers from banking, engineering or medicine. Le Cordon Bleu in Paris offers diploma programs in cuisine, pastry baking and baking, as well as courses on food and wine management. The two-week course Advanced Studies in Taste is offered in French with simultaneous English translation. American television chef Julia Child graduated from the school in 1951.

Schools in Asia

Hong Kong Culinary Academy offers full-time courses, part-time courses and courses in areas of special interest such as cake baking, pastry baking and wine pairing. Its full-time hotel culinary management program takes three years to complete. The school also offers specialized classes in French, Italian and Spanish cooking. Hattori Nutrition College in Tokyo, Japan, pairs a culinary education with instruction on nutrition. The school is led by Yukio Hattori from the Japanese television show "Iron Chef," and his students have helped prepare food for competitors on the show. The show's success helped fund state-of-the-art facilities at the leading culinary school for Japan.

American Culinary Colleges

Johnson & Wales University started in Providence, Rhode Island, but now has campuses in North Miami, Denver and Charlotte. The school offers associate degrees in pastry arts and culinary arts and bachelor’s degrees in culinary nutrition, tourism and hospitality management, and culinary arts/food service management. Ninety percent of students receive financial aid, and the school distributed $143 million in aid in 2012-13. The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, bills itself as the world’s premier culinary college. The school offers bachelor’s degrees in culinary arts management, baking and pastry arts management, applied food studies, and culinary science. The school has satellite campuses in Texas, California and Singapore.