French Culinary Institute
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The French Culinary Institute is a cooking school in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1984 by Dorothy Cann Hamilton, the FCI is now one of the top programs in the world. Students have a very high rate of employment upon graduation and often go on to cook in some of the world's best restaurants.
The culinary arts school, directed by Dominick Cerrone, is divided into four levels. In Level I, students learn what the school terms the 250 basic competencies of Western cooking. The Level II students perfect these basics by making lunch for faculty and staff every day. Students in the upper two levels work in the FCI's restaurant, L'École, located in the same building. In addition to culinary arts, the FCI also has pastry arts and artisanal bread baking curricula, as well as non-professional programs.
The FCI's faculty includes Alain Sailhac, Jacques Pépin, André Soltner, Jacques Torres, and Cesare Casella. Bobby Flay and Marcella Hazan are visiting lecturers. Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Mario Batali and Julia Child have all given demonstrations in the school's amphitheater.
The FCI has expanded its offerings to include Italian courses. The most comprehensive, The Italian Culinary Experience, will immerse the student in Italian cuisine, culture, and language as they spend up to 29 weeks studying in New York City and Parma, Italy at ALMA, the International School of Italian Cuisine. Additional courses in Italian studies―Fundamentals of Italian cooking and Essentials of Italian Cooking 1, 2, & 3―will be held in New York City.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia chose the FCI as a Blue Ribbon Expert. In April 2006, The French Culinary Institute received “The Award of Excellence for Vocational Cooking School from the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP).”
