Top 20 things to do at The French Culinary Institute in NYC (in no particular order)
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Ranked #2,644 in Food, #49,332 overall
Inside the building on the corner of Broadway and Grand in NYC's bustling Soho, culinary royalty reigns?and they continue to prepare legends (as well as great food) every day. Here, not only can you prepare to become the next 4-star phenomenon (what better setting than the culinary capital of the world?), but you can also pursue your passion?whether it's cooking, consuming, critiquing, or creating a career around great food or wine (or even surprising someone with a cool culinary-related gift).
train for a new career
(and in just 6-9 months!)
Whether you need to earn that diploma without giving up your day job, or just want to get into the workforce in the least amount of time, this is the place to do it. Thanks to the comprehensive Total Immersion curriculum designed and overseen by some of the world's most celebrated 4-star chefs, small classes that are hands-on from Day One, and innovative instructors who live what they teach, The FCI's renowned Classic Culiary Arts andClassic Pasty Arts programs create qualified chefs in six months by day, or nine months by night. These fast-paced programs will give you a competitive edge for exciting careers outside the kitchen such as food styling and media, catering, beverage, retail, and specialty foods. Or give rise to a breadbaking career in the 8-week Art of International Bread Baking. Classes start every six weeks (although they often fill months in advance) and secure, affordable student apartments, as well as a range of financial assistance available (including scholarships for Katrina victims and aid for career changers).
raise your wine IQ
(and a few dozen glasses)
Whether you're corkscrew-phobic, a wine enthusiast, or a hospitality pro, The FCI's wine courses-designed by author and Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson-get you into the "spirit" of things while tasting your way around the world. Learn to select and pair wine with panache in just six sessions in Great Wine & Food Made Simple. Or, if you're in the restaurant biz (or want to be), Fundamentals of Wine packs everyhing you need know to work with wine into just one weekend intensive or eight evening sessions.
make your Italian grandmother proud
After years of master classes with Marcella Hazan, this school is no stranger to Italian cooking. But the new Italian Studies programs--designed and overseen by Cesare Casella--go even further (in fact, all the way to Italy, if you want), with the most well-rounded and authentic Italian culinary training available anywhere. With three different programs and a variety of schedules, you'll have no excuse for opening a jar of sauce again. experience a celebrity chef sighting
For gastronomic groupies, The FCI's doorway may as well be a red carpet. A brush with culinary royalty is inevitable, between The FCI's legendary deans ( Alain Sailhac , Jacques Pépin , André Soltner , Jacques Torres , Cesare Casella , Andrea Robinson , Alan Richman ), celebrity chefs and culinary trendsetters offering free demos and tastings for students on any given day, and alums like Bobby Flay. Keep your cookbooks and pens at the ready.
taste the sweet life
If you want to make a career out of those cute little French pastries (and chocolate!), The FCI's Classic Pastry Arts is the only place you can do it in just six months (or nine. part-time)-in a program designed by Mr. Chocolate himself, Jacques Torres -and (how's this for icing on the cake?) with instruction by the likes of Ron Ben-Israel and , Sam Mason . Or, if you just want to exchange your briefcase for a pastry bag once a week-or try on the shoes of a professional chocolatier-I've got three words for you- Essentials of Pastry. Being an amateur never tasted so good. learn to cook. really well.
No matter where you fall on the cooking continuum, you'll make much better friends with your kitchen (and learn how to make 25 elegant dishes) in just eight sessions with Essentials of Fine Cooking, or get serious about sophisticated dishes with the 22-session La Technique and La Technique 2 .
wrap up a great gastronomic gift
Need a taste-full treat? Give a gift certificate for one of The FCI's popular courses, a meal at L'Ecole , or a book by one of The FCI's renowned deans .
enjoy an unforgettable meal at L'Ecole
http://www.frenchculinary.com/lecole.htm
The food is fab, the service sublime, the wine list worthy of a WOW (and a win in Wine Spectator), and the pre fixe lunch and dinner insanely affordable (as in under $35 per person)-thanks to the culinary students cutting their teeth in the kitchen. In fact, Zagat says it's "like getting Prada wholesale." I say it's my favorite place to take anyone I want to impress. find your dream job
The FCI's students really have a competitive edge so, not surprisingly, this is the first place [people like David Bouley and Drew Nieporent] look to fill positions. In fact, The FCI's career placement office fills many of the myriad job requests they receive each year from around the world thanks to a voluntary internship program for students, and lifetime career assistance for grads. For a sample of recent placements, click here .
join the club
The FCI's student clubs give career students a chance to broaden their culinary educations by taking advantage of the NYC area's richness of culinary resources-from exploring greenmarkets, organic cheesemakers and other suppliers, to doing dinner and a behind-the-scenes in A-list eateries, to exploring the world of wine, and more.
spend a day (or just a couple hours) in Dessert Central
Twice yearly, the pastry-impassioned public and pros converge in The FCI's kitchens for a day of workshops with renowned pastry chefs and bakers, presented by PastryScoop.com (which also brings the pastry glitterati and culinary media out at The FCI for their annual Golden Scoop Awards). learn to write for your supper
Explore your inner restaurant critic and learn how to write food features to a 't' with award-winning food journalist Alan Richman in his 6-session Craft of Food Writing.
get immersed in the Classics
The FCI may have been founded in 1984 but the curriculum dates back to the traditions and lexicon of Master Chefs Marie Antoine (Antonin) Caríme and Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935). It's this foundation of classic French culinary techniques and terminology-the 250 standards of all Western cuisine-that becomes second nature through The FCI's rigorous, hands-on, Total Immersion(SM) technique.
mind your own business
Before opening your own restaurant or food-related business, take Opening and Running a Restaurant to ensure that success is on the menu. You'll get ninety hours of real-world dish from some of NYC's top restaurateurs and experts in restaurant law, real estate, finance, marketing, and design, as well as The FCI's instructors and professors from Cornell. You'll even get to hone a business plan under their guidance. Starts every January. live on bread alone
Make your career "flour" in the 8-week Art of International Bread Baking or learn how to make dozens of delicious and distinctive doughy masterpieces at home in Essentials of Artisanal Bread Baking and Classic European Breads .
peruse what MUST be one of the world's largest cookbook collections
Students and alums feast on more than 1600 volumes on the culinary arts (and hundreds of videos of live on-campus cooking demos) in The FCI's library.
follow in Bobby Flay's footsteps
The FCI's alumni make history and headlines-from star chefs like Bobby Flay ('84) and Daisy Martinez ('98), to Dan Barber ('94), recently named as "The Next Generation" of great chefs by Bon Appetit, to Lily Barberio ('98), Associate Food Editor of Food and Wine, to the thousands of grads working around the world in every corner of the food world. take a tour
To see tomorrow's (and today's) culinary legends in action, visit the school by contacting the Admissions Office (open six days a week). The FCI also hosts regular Open Houses. And, if you're not local, The FCI's online tours are a delicious intro to everything from the facilities and faculty, to student clubs and the Soho neighborhood, while their monthly online chats will give you a chance to ask anything and everything of admissions representatives, staff, and sometimes an alum, too.
enroll early
Okay, maybe this seems a bit obvious, considering how popular The FCI's courses are, the school's reputation, and the amazing growth the culinary field is experiencing (hey, you're not the only one who TiVo-ing those Food Network shows or "borrowing" a copy of Bon Appetit from the doctor's office). Classes here fill quickly-sometimes many months to a year in advance-so it's almost never soon to reserve a spot. And, yes, you can even do it online. by kbrown0804
Founded in 1984, The French Culinary Institute offers a rigorous six-month program by day or a nine-month program by night for aspiriing or working cu...
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