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California Culinary Academy Profile, Free College Brochure, School Catalog - San Francisco, CA

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California Culinary Academy Profile

California Culinary Academy

Whether you've dreamt of becoming an executive chef for a five-star restaurant, a pastry artist at a gourmet catering company, or the manager of a posh hotel, this is your chance to step out of the ordinary and into an exciting culinary career you'll truly love. California Culinary Academy offers professional training in the culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, and hospitality and restaurant management; with hands-on cooking classes and lecture courses that can give you the skills you'll need for a successful future in the culinary or hospitality field. From unparalleled instruction in classical and contemporary culinary art techniques, to business management, wine appreciation, and hotel operations, California Culinary Academy is your first step toward a successful culinary career.

California Culinary Academy

California Culinary Academy

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Overview

California Culinary Academy was founded in 1977. We have enjoyed 25 years of culinary achievement in beautiful downtown San Francisco, a city known around the world for culinary excellence.

You'll find our city to be a dynamic, vibrant environment where classical French culinary traditions mingle with Asian and American traditions to create exciting new cooking styles. We're just a short drive from the Napa Valley, one of the world's most famous wine-growing regions.

San Francisco is the center of the culinary revolution that has swept across America, changing the way we think about good food and fine wine. California Culinary Academy is proud to be a part of that revolution.

Our campus is located at historic California Hall in downtown San Francisco and includes industry-standard culinary facilities. Our facilities include: professional galley kitchens where you can gain hands-on experience; baking and pastry kitchens for making breads, cakes and pastries; a confectionery where you'll work to create fine deserts; garde manger kitchens for preparing salads and cold dishes; a unique Asian kitchen featuring built-in wok stations; and a mixology laboratory for preparing great cocktails. Our campus also includes student-staffed restaurants serving the public.

We're sure you'll find California Culinary Academy to be a great campus located in the ideal setting for learning the culinary arts.

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Programs offered

  • Associate of Occupational Studies - Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts
  • Associate of Occupational Studies - Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality and Restaurant Management
  • Certificate - Baking and Pastry Arts

Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts
The Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Program requires the student to demonstrate fundamental skills, study advanced techniques, and fully integrate related food service abilities. The focus is on hands-on skill development and practical application of techniques.

The student begins with learning the proper use of tools and equipment, elements of food science, kitchen safety and sanitation, and the basics of preparing soups, sauces, vegetables, seafood and meats. Fundamental knife skills and knowledge of food chemistry are prerequisites to higher-level courses.

The student advances to apply his/her skills to garde manger, catering services, production, and wine. He/she can then learn the brigade system and focus on classical cooking techniques and their evolution in the modern kitchen.

Speed, timing, and teamwork are increasingly emphasized throughout the intermediate classes. Courses in product purchasing, menu planning, and human-resource management build additional kitchen-management skills. In professional kitchens, each student rotates through stations demonstrating proficiency in various skills as well as the ability to perform at professional standards in a working kitchen.

Rounding out the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Program is an off-site externship at a site approved by an executive chef. Whether it's working in a commercial kitchen or at a resort, the externship can provide practical experience and professional exposure to the culinary industry for the student. Upon successful completion of the program an Associate of Occupational Studies degree is awarded.

Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality and Restaurant Management
No matter what experience you may have, our Le Cordon Bleu Hospitality and Restaurant Management Degree Program can give you the knowledge and skills to succeed in the world's fastest growing industry. This comprehensive course of study combines sound managerial theory with practical, hands-on training. This means that once you're on the job, you won't just know what to do but also how to do it.

The program is designed to provide a strong basis in management practices as well as basic culinary skills. You will be introduced to both front-of-the-house as well as back-of-the house operations. Among other topics, the program covers basic culinary arts school training; mixology/beverage service; hotel operations; restaurant management, accounting and law; small business management; wine studies; professional communications; human resource management; purchasing; commercial facilities and menu design; and gaming/casino management.

Even before you start working in the culinary industry you'll get job training through our externship program. Upon successful completion of the academic residence coursework, this nine-week required course will put you under the direct supervision of a hospitality professional, giving you valuable exposure to your chosen field. With the confidence you get by putting your academy training into practice, your first job won't feel quite so much like your first job.

By successfully completing the program, you'll have earned an Associate of Occupational Studies Degree, along with the industry experience, business skills, and culinary arts training that hospitality employers demand. Whether it's a hotel management job, a restaurant management job -- or a position at a resort, casino, cruise ship, or spa for that matter -- you should have what you need to tackle any professional entry-level hospitality position with an education from California Culinary Academy.

Baking and Pastry Arts
The Baking and Pastry Arts Program begins with the fundamentals of ingredients, proportions, consistencies, and chemical reactions. The student receives hands-on instruction in straight and sponge dough methods, fillings, pastries, puff pastry, specialty yeast dough items, and quick breads. The program reviews different international recipes for cookies, including mixing methods and classifications. Also explored are tartlets, basic syrups, creams, icings, and pie categories.

As the student progresses, the program will introduce them too a variety of cakes, procedures for mise en place, and the production of pastries. Service pastry training follows, including petits fours, souffles, buffet pastries, and plated desserts. At the conclusion of the program, the student can prepare candies and elaborate showpieces that incorporate chocolate molding and sculpturing, as well as poured and pulled sugar decorations. The Baking and Pastry Arts Program is designed to provide comprehensive training in nutrition, safety, sanitation, and human resource management. Upon successful completion, a certificate in Baking and Pastry Arts will be awarded.

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Campus Locations

  • San Francisco, CA

Student Financing Options

The Academy is an active partner in helping you reach your professional goals. While you're in school, our Student Finance Department is set up to help you find the right financing options for your education. Financial aid is available for those who qualify.

The Academy offers both federal and state financial aid to the eligible student. To apply for financial assistance, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). We suggest filing the FAFSA at the time of enrollment. As a part of the enrollment process, each student will need to meet with a Student Financial Advisor following application for admission to the Academy.

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* California Culinary Academy does not guarantee employment or salary.

The jobs mentioned are examples of certain potential jobs, not a representation that these outcomes are more probable than others. California Culinary Academy does not guarantee employment or salary.

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