The fashion for the ability to cook has really swept over Muscovites. Even my friend, who is very far from the kitchen, who would prefer to dine on kefir and sausage in dough, suddenly said: “There are guests coming on Saturday, can you teach me how to bake some kind of pie?” So I decided to find out where to go to study if you have no idea why there are frying pans in the house, or, like Carey Bradshaw, you store dresses in the oven.
In Moscow you can find culinary schools and master classes for every taste and level of preparedness. Some of them are designed for a serious approach to business (these are all kinds of academies), others are, rather, a way to spend a pleasant and tasty evening or, for example, a Sunday morning.
Culinary school Gastronom
People come to one of the oldest gastronomic schools in Moscow to work seriously. On the 24th floor of the Hydroproject Institute, a mystical action is happening: this is where you can definitely learn how to make six dishes in two hours. Everything is as it should be: the students sit on chairs and listen to the master’s work, writing down all the most difficult moments and nuances - the recipes, of course, will remain as memories, but often they have very little in common with what is happening at the kitchen table. Two girls were very upset that they would not be allowed to repeat everything themselves right here and now and would have to postpone preparing the minestrone until at least the night, so they were the first to volunteer to help with chopping the vegetables. And they won’t trust you with more: here the cook is in charge - with the dexterity of a juggler, he bakes focaccia, fries shrimp, stirs the sauce and cooks the signature vegetable broth in the same minute. There are a lot of ideas, you just have time to wave your pen. Along the way, the chef gives recommendations: how to cut the shrimp so that it can be beautifully placed on the plate, what to add to the pesto to make it more piquant, and to what extent you need to whip the Caesar dressing.
Mission: a serious and thoughtful approach to the cooking process.
Teachers: cooks from the Gastronom school.
Cost of classes: from 2500 rub.
Cooking school We can cook it! at the Sisters Grimm restaurant
This year's culinary school in a restaurant Sisters Grimm accepts only women (although, if you really ask, I myself saw a young man cooking pies...). Don’t think that it’s a matter of chauvinism or the name of the establishment - last season the stronger sex reigned in the local kitchen. I was lucky enough to take a class on “American Pies” with Katya Agronik, owner of Select Cake Studio, Cordon Bleu pastry graduate and cake master. This is where I became convinced that improvisation reigns in the kitchen. Let's say we're baking a pumpkin pie, where we carefully measure out exactly three-quarters of a teaspoon of cinnamon, cardamom, a tablespoon of zest... Oops, no! Cardamom shouldn't be here. Well, that’s okay, let’s add another spoonful of cinnamon and a little more starch so that the pumpkin souffle hardens faster... Voila: the pie turned out, and it’s very beautiful, even with cardamom.
Mission: revive the tradition of visiting with homemade pies.
Teachers: Tatiana, owner of the restaurant. Sometimes culinary stars are invited.
Cost of classes: from 1500 rub.
Academia del Gusto
The first Italian Academy of High Culinary Arts offers not just master classes, but a total immersion in the cooking process - each lesson lasts more than four hours. All this is led by a charming Italian, who will casually tell you why there is no good restaurants, what is a hangover in Russian and a corporate party in Chinese.
Here everyone does their part of the work. Products are prepared simultaneously for all dishes - from appetizers to dessert. It is impossible to keep track of what, how and why is cut and cleaned. The main thing is to have time to write down when the cook concentrates all this around himself and begins to pour it into a saucepan/baking tray/frying pan/bowl. The most fun is the pasta. A specially trained food processor will prepare the dough for you, but you will need to make the paste yourself - using a miracle machine. In Italy, of course, every self-respecting housewife has one.
Mission: popularization of haute Italian cuisine.
Teachers: award-winning Italian chefs from Moscow restaurants and consultants.
Cost of classes: 4950 rub.
Kitchen in detail
In the white stone chambers on Spiridonovka, every week a small (7-8 people) Italian/Moroccan/Asian family gathers around a large cutting table: nationality directly depends on the menu. Here they taste cheeses, drink wine, cook everything from pizza to complex fancy dishes (for example, some carpaccio of scallops marinated in smoked paprika with celery and green apple). Denis Krupenya rules the show at all classes - he is both a brand chef, an organizer, and just a big gourmet. Making your way through narrow corridors littered with antiques and designer items, you come to visit him, where they will pour you a glass of something sparkling and perky and, a little later, you will certainly be fed to your heart's content. Over frying pans and sorting thyme, casual conversations take place about the mythology of Italian cuisine and travels to Cannes, Mauritius and grandma's village. This is one of the few educational places where you can learn how to cook quite complex dishes, and get a good understanding of why the lamb is simmered in confit before frying, and why olive oil is poured into a pan of pasta.
Mission: haute cuisine - to the family table.
Teachers: chefs of existing Moscow restaurants and gastronomic observers.
Cost of classes: 3500 rub.
Rozhnikovsky Culinary Academy
Behind the intimidating name lies something between a culinary college and an educational program for those who are not in the know. I took a theoretical class. Specially invited chef Dmitry brought all his knives and complex language told me which one was needed for what. The second part is practical. Everyone was given an onion, a potato and a carrot, and Dmitry taught us to hold the knife so as not to cut ourselves: “With your right hand, firmly hold the knife by the base, grabbing the blade, and with your left hand, rest your fingertips on the product, as if you already had an apple in your hand.” . You put your middle finger forward so that it rests with a phalanx against the knife and does not allow it to slip onto your hand...” - and at that moment the blade of his knife treacherously cuts his finger. So much for safety precautions. For the rest of the lesson, the cook, courageously refusing the plaster, poured blood on the food, demonstrating what not to do. Well, that’s also quite a lesson.
Mission: nurturing the curious. There are lessons in cooking, oenology, cheeses and theoretical classes.
Teachers: invited chefs from Moscow restaurants, sommeliers and decorators.
Cost of classes: from 1500 rub.
Open kitchen Meet & Greet
Everyone has different reasons for coming here - some are looking for new acquaintances, some love cinema, and some even seek knowledge. For example, one of the students said that he had recently broken up with his girlfriend, and after two weeks he was simply tired of eating sandwiches and reheated pizza. And here it’s all at once - food, entertainment, and communication.
I'm not sure that you can really learn something here - rather, get ideas and hang out. In the kitchen, everyone does their part. And if you, say, cook pasta at the stove, then the rest of the action remains a mystery to you. And you may never know how to sort basil or how to cut mozzarella without it sticking to your knife. After all these ordeals, a film is collectively chosen and the prepared food is no less collectively consumed.
Mission: just have a good rest and meet new people.
Teachers: the organizers of the open kitchen, Albina and Kristina, are sometimes stars.
Cost of classes: from 600 rub.
Cooking school of Massimiliano Montiroli at Osteria Montiroli
Here you can not only learn how to cook, for example, sea bass in three variations in half an hour, but also understand how to distinguish fresh fish from its long-dead brother. A cheerful Italian, cheerfully speaking broken Russian, shows us a smooth and shiny carcass on ice. "Like?" Everyone nods their heads knowingly. “But no: it can be safely thrown into the trash.” It turns out that in order to know the freshness of a fish, you need to look carefully into its eyes (they should be convex and clear), check the color of the blood (the correct one is bright red, not brownish), and the carcass should be elastic and hard. Now you can make it into a sauce for pasta, a stew with potatoes and rosemary, or bake it in salt, fry it in an eggplant envelope or grill it. The atmosphere is just like home. In the center is Massimiliano, who alternately runs up to everyone and controls the process. Students have individual tiles with frying pans in front of them, so there is every chance to prepare any dish on their own and eat it right away. Each lesson is devoted to one topic (desserts, fish, meat), but you can ask about anything - so our educational program on fish and seafood smoothly moved on to chicken breast confit and deep-frying problems.
Mission: organizing free time with pleasure and benefit for the stomach.
Teachers: All classes are taught by Massimiliano himself, the chef of the Osteria Montiroli restaurant.
Cost of classes: monthly course of four lessons - 20,000 rubles.
Le Cordon Bleu
What and how they teach: Story Le Cordon Bleu began withFrench culinary magazine La Cuisinière Cordon Bleu, foundedat the end of the century before last (cordon bleu - “blue ribbon” - even earlier became firmly established French as a synonym for excellent cuisine). From time to time, the magazine invited its readers to take part in a master class with one or another famous chef. Single lessons grew into a cooking school, which opened in 1895.
It is now one of the most prestigious cooking schools in the world. It has 35 branches in 23 countries, and in them20,000 students study annually. The main branches are in Paris and London.
IN Le Cordon Bleu has two main departments - culinary and confectionery, and there are also departments for hotel business, sommelier and so on.The training consists of three courses, each lasting about four months. The course includes theoretical, thematic and practical classes.
IN different years Le Cordon Bleu graduated Yotam Ottolenghi, Mario Batali, Julia Child, Giada De Laurentiis.
Cost of education: from£5000 per course
La Scuola Internazionale di Cucina Italiana (Alma)
What and how they teach: Alma- leading school of Italian cuisine, its motto: “Turn your passion into a profession.” The educational campus is located in a castle in ancient city Colorno near Parma.
The school has two main programs - for Italian and for foreign students, classes are conducted in Italian and English respectively. Foreigners have access to general courses for cooks and pastry chefs, as well as individual courses, the program of which is compiled at the request of the student. Features of training in Alma - long-term internships, they give students the opportunity to gain real-life work experience and acquire professional contacts in the restaurant business. Each course lasts approximately seven months, five of which are spent on internship.
Cost of education: near€10,000 per course
ICIF Culinary School
What and how they teach: ICIF-non-profit association founded in 1991 to promote Italian cuisine And. The school building is located in a castle inCostigliole d'Asti, in Italy.The main course is Italian cooking. The peculiarity of the school: here you can get specialized education in narrow specialties, for example, take courses in ice cream makers, chocolatiers, pizza makers, courses in preparing gluten-free food, Italian confectionery, and so on. The impressive enoteca offers sommelier courses. Training lasts from a week to 6 months, depending on the chosen course.
Cost of education: €1500–9500 depending on the course
The Culinary Institute of America
What and how they teach: The Culinary Institute of America was opened in 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut, originally called the Restaurant Institute. Recognition came quickly. In 1972, when the institute already had about 1 thousand students, it occupied the buildings of the former Jesuit seminary on the west bank of the Hudson River, a two-hour drive from New York City. Today, students from all over the world study at CIA. After completing three years of study, they receive bachelor's degrees in food business management, food science, applied food studies, and an associate's degree in culinary arts. , confectionery art and baking.
The CIA has 4 educational restaurants (Italian, French, American and vegetarian), 38 kitchens and bakeries, dozens of classrooms, a lecture and concert hall, and its own television studio. The pride of the college is its library, which contains more than 55,000 volumes on cooking and more than 2,000 videotapes. Branches are located in California, Texas and Singapore.
CIAgained such a reputation in the world that Paul Bocuse himself sent his son to study here and called the institute the best culinary school in the world.
Cost of education: from $16,430 per semester
Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland
What and how they teach:Culinary Arts Academy is one of the leading culinary universities in Switzerland. It is part of the Swiss Education Group network of prestigious hospitality schools.
The school has two campuses - in picturesque old Lucerne and in Le Bouveret, on the shore AND Lake Eneva.
At Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland you can get higher education, master's degree or certificate in culinary arts, culinary business management, or Swiss pastry making.
The teaching staff are Swiss chefs, winners of many awards in the field of cooking and confectionery. Star chefs from all over the world are invited to conduct special master classes. Students are taught to prepare dishes from world cuisines, select products, create an interesting and concise menu, and manage a restaurant budget.
Cost of education: about 40,000 CHF per year of study
Barilla Academy
What and how they teach: The Academy, which is located in Parma, was opened in 2004 by the pasta manufacturer Barilla. This is a huge educational institution with professional faculties and courses for amateurs. There are three professional faculties: Basics of Italian Cuisine for people with minimal culinary skills, Advanced Italian Cuisine for cooks with a minimum of 3 years of experience in the kitchen, and Master of Italian Cuisine for cooks, chefs or sous chefs with a minimum of 5 years of experience. Courses last from a week to several months. The academy also offers one-day classes for those who want to learn how to cook something specific, such as pasta carbonara.
The academy has a unique library containing more than 8,500 books on cooking and 30 rare periodicals.
Cost of education: about €300 per lesson
Le Pres d'Eugenie by Michel Guerard
What and how they teach: In the French part of the Pyrenees, in a place called Eugénie-les-Bains, lives Michel Guerard, one of the best chefs in the world. There he has a hotel, a Michel Guerard restaurant of the same name, which has received 3 Michelin stars for many years, his own farm, a vegetable garden and a garden. Among other things, Michel Guerard organized cooking courses here. There are one-day and two-day courses for those who want to learn how to cook some traditional dishes French cuisine. There are also longer courses for professionals, including a 5-day internship in a Gerar restaurant. A special feature of the training here is that almost all dishes on the courses are prepared from products from your personal garden.
The topics of the courses are completely different - from dietary recipes to haute cuisine.
Cost of education: from £200 per lesson
San Diego Culinary Institute (SDCI)
What and how they teach: The San Diego Culinary Institute is relatively new - it opened in 2000 - but has already become one of the best culinary institutes not only in America, but throughout the world. The training is based on the methodical honing of cooking techniques, as stated in the institute’s motto: “Teach techniques, not recipes.” It welcomes both established chefs who want to gain additional knowledge, as well as those who are thinking about changing their profession and decided to start from scratch.
The San Diego Culinary Institute has two departments: culinary and pastry. Training takes place in English and lasts from 7 to 9 months, depending on the intensity of the classes.
Cost of education:$23,556 for the full culinary course and $22,482 for the pastry course
New England Culinary Institute (NECI)
What and how they teach: The institute is located in small town Montpelier, capital of the US state of Vermont. A special feature is the teaching method: students begin with a short theoretical course within the walls of the institute, and then go on a long internship in successful restaurants in America. The logic is simple: where, if not in a real kitchen, can one get real knowledge and experience?
NECI has three main areas of study: culinary, confectionery and restaurant management. Here it is possible to obtain both a certificate of secondary vocational education and a bachelor's degree. Training lasts one and three years respectively. NECI also offers online education.
Cost of education: to obtain a certificate of secondary vocational education - about $12,000, including accommodation on the student campus and additional expenses; A bachelor's degree in culinary arts costs about $36,000, including on-campus housing.
At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy
What and how they teach: At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy has three departments: culinary, confectionery and restaurant management. Culinary arts training is conducted in the areas of Asian and Western cuisine. Both beginners and experienced chefs can come here. Upon completion of the training, which lasts from 10 to 18 months depending on the chosen course, an international diploma is issued. If desired, in graduates can continue their studies atJohnson & Wales University (USA) or University of West London (UK), with which the academy has friendly agreements.
Cost of education: course cost from 31,000 SGD, but if you are a citizen of Singapore, then studying at any of the faculties will cost you almost five times less
University College of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts
What and how they teach: Barcelona University College of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts is a culinary university and hotel school, on the basis of which training is carried out. In addition to culinary arts, the university pays significant attention to education in the field of hotel business and tourism.
There are three study programs: bachelor's degree in hospitality and tourism management (4 years), higher technical education in gastronomy and restaurant service (3 years) and specialist in culinary arts and kitchen management (8 months).
In addition to comprehensive training, you can take short courses in the chosen area, for example:Knowledge of products and culinary techniques (12 weeks), creativity and innovation in the kitchen.
Price: Tuition fees are available upon request
Where: 20 countries
How much: from £5000 per course
Le Cordon Bleu Academy is practically a “Mecca” for everyone who is in love with cooking. Founded in 1895 in France, today it has more than 50 schools in 20 countries. The name of the school translates as “blue ribbon” and refers us to medieval France, where distinguished knights were awarded an order - the Cross of the Holy Spirit, which hung on an azure ribbon. A little later, it became a symbol of high quality in the culinary arts. Today, restaurant technology is based on the philosophy and approach to gastronomy of the academy, which is used everywhere - from Tokyo to London. The course lasts about 4 months, there are two departments - culinary and confectionery. Students are taught by guest chefs from famous restaurants marked by the guide "".
Where: New York, USA
How much: about $25,000 for almost 2 years of study
The Culinary Institute of America was founded in Connecticut in 1946 by two women, Frances Roth and Katherine Angell. Thanks to their zeal and progressive management, very soon the institute began to be called the “culinary center of the nation.” Interestingly, 4 years after its opening, the school managed to retrain more than 600 World War II veterans who trained as chefs, bakers and nutritionists. The CIA's main office is currently located in New York. To enter, you must already have a bachelor's degree, at least 6 months of work in the culinary industry, letters of recommendation and an essay on the topic “Why I want to study here.” The institute also provides tuition grants to both American and international students.
Where: Costigliole d'Asti, Italy
How much: from €1500
ICIF was founded in 1991 to protect and maintain the image of Italian cuisine among professionals working in restaurants abroad. This school is located in a real castle, where they will be happy to see both a savvy specialist who wants to improve their skills, and an amateur who would like to master the secrets of Italian cuisine. It is noteworthy that on the territory of the institute there is an eleoteka - a place where they teach how to understand olive oil, and an enoteka - a sommelier school here that is not inferior to a culinary one. After completing the training, students are also offered a 4-month internship in selected restaurants. Today, the institute's faculties are also represented in China and Brazil.
Culinary school Raymond Da Blanc
Where: Oxford, England
How much: from £500 per lesson
When talking about British cuisine, many people first think of Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay or Heston Blumenthal, although the latter self-taught chef trained under chef Raymond Blanc. At his hotel and restaurant, located 15 km from London, Blanc has long been teaching the culinary arts to everyone - there is even a small house for his students. The courses are held in a very intimate setting - no more than 6 people, and last from one to several days. Classes are divided by topic: from preparing vegetarian food to lectures on diet and food features.
Barilla Academy
To be a professional in your field - what could be better than this, when people admire you and try to follow your example. But reaching the level of a culinary maestro is not so easy. This requires countless amounts of time, effort, work and desire to improve.
Especially for you, we have made a selection of the best culinary schools in the world, where you can not only hone your culinary skills, but also gain invaluable experience that will make you a real culinary Guru.
1. Le Cordon Bleu
This is the most famous and legendary culinary academy in the world, which includes more than 50 schools in 20 countries. The most famous branches of the school are located in Paris and London. Le Cordon Bleu is not just a culinary academy where they teach the craft of cooking, but also a place where the philosophy of haute French cuisine is instilled. Graduates of this academy are simply doomed to become the best chefs in the world.
If you decide to enroll here, then you will need knowledge of French or English (depending on the location of the branch) languages, which will need to be proven.
Training at Le Cordon Bleu takes place in several stages, therefore, in order to receive a diploma from the academy, you must first take culinary courses at their school and receive a certificate.
2. Barilla Academy
If you want to learn how to cook pasta that millions will love, you should definitely learn this at the Barilla Culinary Academy, which is considered one of the most prestigious in the world.
Both celebrity chefs and restaurant owners are certified here. And although the history of the academy began quite recently, namely in 2004, Barilla has become the No. 1 brand for making pasta.
The Academy offers not only long courses, but also one-day classes that are aimed at studying a particular dish.
The academy also stands out for its colossal library, which already contains over 8,500 books.
3. Raymond Blanc Cooking School
The school of the famous English chef Raymond Blanc is very popular among the culinary elite. Therefore, in order to attend courses from Raymond Blanc, you must sign up and reserve your seats at least two months in advance! The culinary school is located on the territory of the Le Manoir aux Quat" Saisons hotel, which makes it possible to study and relax in comfort
Courses usually last from 1 to 4 days in small groups of 6 people.
4. Culinary Institute of America
This culinary institute opened back in 1946 and even then positioned itself as a professional culinary school for chefs.
To enter the institute, you must have a bachelor's degree, at least 6 months of work in the culinary profession, as well as letters of recommendation and an essay why you want to study here. Another huge advantage of the institute is that it issues training grants not only to Americans, but also to foreign students.
5. Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners
One of the equally famous schools in Italy, ICIF, is distinguished by the fact that it is designed for foreigners and is located in medieval castle in the town of Costigliole d'Asti. The institute trains both professional chefs and novices who want to get acquainted with the culinary craft. A special feature of the institute is the Eleotheka, a place where people learn to understand olive oil, and the Enoteca, a school of sommeliers. After training, students are offered a list of restaurants where they can complete a 4-month internship.
The training will take place throughout the year and its cost will vary from 5,500 to 10,000 euros, depending on the course you choose.
6. Alain Ducasse School
The Paris school of one of the most famous chefs of our time, Alain Ducasse, was founded in 2009. It includes 4 workshop kitchens, a wine cellar, a conference room and a shop. At Alain Ducasse's culinary school, you'll learn how to prepare the chef's legendary dishes, dive into the basics of pastry making, and learn how to drink wine correctly.
7. Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts
The Escoffier School of Culinary Arts enables students to realize their potential in the culinary and pastry arts through small classes and personalized, streamlined instruction using methods developed by the king of chefs, Auguste Escoffier. The peculiarity of the school is that it does not just teach the basics of cooking, but demonstrates and puts into practice the “farm to table” philosophy, that is, every student is required to undergo an internship on a farm. Another huge plus of this school is the availability of online courses through which you can participate in real-time discussions, learn the business side of the industry, and fine-tune your skills in the culinary arts.
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