One word: AMAZING! More than what I expected. I'm by no means a cook and even I did great. The instructor Shari was the sweetest ever. It was SO much fun and I learned so much. Definitely going back!
One day soon, i will attend this school and keep going back for life!! Imagine working with Mr.Pepin and all the other Master Chefs. Here is serious wisdom being passed to those that choose to make a huge difference in the food industry....
Great experience to learn the foundations of cooking. Excellent instructors and amazing facility. Hard work and diligence required. Not the same as a restaurant experience but very supportive stepping stone. The library is an amazing resource as are the librarians. The student services are extremely helpful and will find you an opportunity any time, any place.
Wish i could learn the culinary arts from here, but from where i am geeez
Always a great time no matter how professional you are. I took just one cupcake decorating class here a year ago and well.. I'm starting a full program next week! Such supporting staff and experiences professors
I took the four and a half hour Secret of Spice class. The chef and the students who volunteered to help were patient, extremely helpful and thoroughly made even the students who were cooking-challenged feel competent. On top of a great class experience, there are a few things that were totally enlightening. And thus, I will never purchase store bought pasta again. I will invest in a spice grinder. I will use the whole seeds and fresh herbs whenever possible. Because, I learned that cooking is like working with computers: Garbage in, Garbage out. If you want a good time, a spiffy blue apron and chef's hat and a chance to learn something, try a class. It is worth it.
I am a 2012 graduate of ICC's Professional Culinary Arts program. Attending ICC was easily one of the best decisions I have ever made for myself, both personally and professionally. Working under such incredible culinary masterminds as Jacques Pepin, Alain Sailhac, Andre Soltner, Jacques Torres and Jose Andres, is an experience like no other. One of the reasons I chose ICC was because of the opportunity to work and learn on the line at L'Ecole (named one of the best culinary school restaurants in the world by USA Today). This unique experience allows you to serve to paying NYC customers under the guided instruction of ICC's chef-instructors who have worked at such establishments as Gramercy Tavern, Le Cirque, Le Bernardin, Gotham Bar & Grill, The Modern and more. I would highly recommend this school to any aspiring chef, or anyone looking to work in the culinary field in general.
Definitely regarded as THE top culinary school in New York City, if not the USA. Cooking school is coming under fire recently because grads don't make big $ right out of school. Being a top chef is like being a top musician though... you must pay your dues early on to reap the fame and big financial rewards that come down the line. The full programs at ICC costs significantly less than the 2 year program at other schools, and career-changers can do the program at night or during the day in just six months. The deans are excellent and the staff is incredibly friendly.
I had a great experience here in a night school program for classic culinary arts.
It is ridiculously hot the presentation of the cakes could have been done better in the lobby and also whats up with that elevator
Chef instructors, staff & students are helpful & respectful towards one another. Up to date technology in the kitchens are great! We are taught very useful information. Love this school!
I am currently a student on the 6 month intensive French Culinary Arts program and I really love it.
Being British-Lebanese (I'm an international student), I had initially planned to go to culinary school in London. However after visiting and looking at multiple courses all over the UK I just knew that this was the place for me. The course is the perfect amount of time for a career changer like myself not feel like I'm wasting time. The facilities are the equivalent if not better than anything you'll find in the industry, the chefs are admirable in both their skill and their professional demeanor, and the vibe is one of enthusiasm and support.
Don't be fooled, this course is no joke. Get ready to work hard and learn about every aspect of food and the industry that surrounds it. Here we are taught in both practice and theory of all the different cooking techniques, how to apply them to french cuisine, and how to practice this knowledge in the professional world. Plus we get some really great visiting chef demos (often because the chefs are alumni. Perks.) and unique volunteering experiences like the New York Culinary Experience and The James Beard Awards. The opportunities and support of the school and its wonderful student and careers services teams are there for us during our time on our course, as well as after we graduate.
This is the place to go if you want to learn how to work in the food industry and still love food. I will seriously miss it when I graduate.
This school is the worst ever, kitchens are disgusting and products never fresh
Here's the big Forty Thousand Dollar Question - Should you pay for Culinary School?
I'm giving the school four stars because of the staff who are beyond wonderful.
I can tell you within two weeks I knew that several things bothered me and had I been paying for this myself I would have dropped out without any hesitation.
The cooking instruction book is riddled with errors and that to me is unforgivable. Not that anyone reads it after the first three weeks (well I did) because every test that you take the day before the chef will read off every single question to ensure that everyone passes. I had a big problem with that method, because class is wasted when people ask questions that are in the book that they didn't read.
Now let's think about this, you just spent $40k or more to learn culinary arts, that loan has to be paid back and if you live in this city you will probably make $15 and hour to begin (that's NYC's minimum wage) but what if you live in another state or city? How the heck can you pay back this loan if you are making minimum wage?OR have you not thought about that? Well you should . And before I say anything else use that phone to look up jobs, in your town, look up how much you need to pay each month to get that debt off your back. Use your phone for research not for hitting likes.
The chefs that work in the school are great, however its sad that there is one black chef, three Asians, and a couple of white women but 90% of the chefs are white men. Where is the diversity?
This is 2019 and this school is still using nitrates and meat glue. Not only that you learn charcuterie that is so dated (500 BC - 1985)that its a waste of time. In this day and age charcuterie is a balance of taste and texture, not terrines, galantines and seafood in dough. Its grossed me out to spend time making these dishes when I know that if you google charcuterie in Michelin star restaurants you won't see the items they are teaching.
Which brings me to another issue I had, nothing is washed, the meat is cooked straight out the box. People didn't even take time to wash the vegetables. The workstations in the morning are dirty, the pots have to be rinsed before you use them, the bathrooms are dirty, as well as the locker room. And most the students weren't clean either.
Today you have gluten free restaurants, vegan, vegetarian restaurants, etc, yet this school DOES NOT touch on any of these issues. The meals you make are basically meat or sugary desserts.
Now here is my other thing that you should think about before you enroll (not saying that you shouldn't because hey I don't have to pay your loan back). How many times have you eaten in a fine dining establishment? I'm not talking Ruth Chris nor Red Lobster, I'm talking a Michelin starred restaurant?
I believe that before you enroll you should spend a week or longer working in a restaurant to see if you even like it.
Yes you learn knife skills the first week . Yes you will learn how to cocotte a vegetable, but in all my years of taking clients to fine establishments I have never seen a cocotte.
When was the last time you read a cooking blog or even a cooking magazine? Culinary school is nothing like what you see on Instantgratification (because its is instant, how many photos do you have take to get that "perfect" one? Its artificial and so is Fakebook.) If you want to be a chef then follow some of the restaurants on Instagram, follow some of the chefs who you admire, immerse yourself in your PASSION instead of relying on cooking shows (another fake thing, come on guys there is a person off camera holding signs telling the audience how to react. There is another person who writes down what the hosts should say - nothing you see is real) and spectacular plating photos that took dozens of tries to get right.
Again, I can't tell you if the school is worth it only you will know the answer to this.
I took a tour of the school it seem really good but I want to know if this is private school Berkeley college lied to me and I didnt know it was private school they played me on financial aid.
ICC remains a top notch New York institution for anyone involved with or thinking about getting into the culinary or hospitality trades.
They offer complete degree programs as well as certificates, workshops and seminars on all aspects of cooking and hospitality.
Amazing food, world renowned chefs and a great learning environment!
I took the 4 month Culinary Techniques program here, which is essentially the first level of the professional course. It was not easy, but I learned and progressed so much in such a short time, my chef instructors were brilliant teachers (and sometimes hardasses), and I learned how to make things I never would have been able to accomplish on my own at home. Well worth the money.
Awesome place to learn not only cooking but also to respect different cultures.
Definitely the best around to improve and develop your culinary skills
Need an alumni to apply for a scholarship.Please anybody help me.Would be appreciated
I completed the Classic Culinary Arts program and have nothing but positive things to say about the curriculum, staff, and fellow classmates. ICC has given me a foundation upon which I have been continuing to build. In addition to the talented, experienced, and dedicated chef-instructors, I am thankful to have kept in touch with members of the administrative staff--especially those from career services, who are always excited to hear of your next step, and are more than willing to help get you there--no matter how long ago you graduated. Highly recommended.
In my opinion, the best Culinary school in the country. The instructors and deans are some of the most influential chefs in the world.
I attended back in the late 80's. I have to say too many people think that attending and graduating means an instant career. What I was after was a solid foundation. I was already experienced in the business and passed on an opportunity to apprentice with a Top New Orleans chef to attend the then
FCI. I got what I came for which was structure, discipline, and a solid grounding in technique.
I do not regret passing on New Orleans. I was blessed by working with world class talent and benefited greatly by what they taught me. A tip: be reverent in your approach to the art and skill of the culinary field and the Chef will respect your effort and reward you as well.
Fantastic facility. I m taking the intensive sommelier program and everything from the comprehensive curriculum to the professors and the entire team are just excellent. Thumbs up
internationalculinarycenter.com
