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Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools

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2023 Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools

640 Colleges
$24,478 Avg Salary
$14,830 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Culinary Arts School for You

In 2021-2022, 22,075 people earned a degree or certificate in culinary arts, making the major the #11 most popular in the United States.

There are so many trade school programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools ranking. This report analyzed 640 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular programs for trade school students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Culinary Arts program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for culinary arts majors pursuing a .

Our analysis found Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Boulder to be the most popular school for culinary arts students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the midsize city of Boulder, Escoffier - Boulder is a private for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Boulder

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend National University College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools list. National University College is a very large private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Bayamon.

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Out of the 640 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Culinary Institute of America landed the # 3 spot on the list. The Culinary Institute of America is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Hyde Park.

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Out of the 640 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Johnson & Wales University - Providence landed the # 4 spot on the list. JWU Providence is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Providence.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University - Providence

#5

Valencia College

Orlando, FL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Valencia College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools list. Located in the city of Orlando, Valencia College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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Institute of Culinary Education ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools list. Institute of Culinary Education is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

Full Culinary Arts at Institute of Culinary Education Report

Escuela Hotelera de San Juan landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular culinary arts programs. Located in the large city of Hato Rey, Escuela Hotelera de San Juan is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Escuela Hotelera de San Juan

Institute of Culinary Education - Los Angeles ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Pasadena, Institute of Culinary Education - Los Angeles is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Full Culinary Arts at Institute of Culinary Education - Los Angeles Report

Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Austin ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools list. Located in the large city of Austin, Escoffier - Austin is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

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Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Charlotte, JWU Charlotte is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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#11

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

With a ranking of #11, Ivy Tech Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for culinary arts students. Ivy Tech Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Indianapolis.

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#12

Hinds Community College

Raymond, MS

With a ranking of #12, Hinds Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for culinary arts students. Hinds Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the fringe town of Raymond.

Full Culinary Arts at Hinds Community College Report

University of Arkansas - Pulaski Technical College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools ranking. Located in the city of North Little Rock, UA Pulaski Tech is a public school with a small student population.

Full Culinary Arts at University of Arkansas - Pulaski Technical College Report

#14

Miami Dade College

Miami, FL

Miami Dade College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular culinary arts programs. Located in the city of Miami, MDC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Culinary Arts at Miami Dade College Report

City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools list. Kennedy-King College is a small public school located in the large city of Chicago.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College

#16

ECPI University

Virginia Beach, VA

ECPI University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools list. Located in the city of Virginia Beach, ECPI University is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Culinary Arts at ECPI University Report

#17

Arizona Culinary Institute

Scottsdale, AZ

With a ranking of #17, Arizona Culinary Institute did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for culinary arts students. Located in the midsize city of Scottsdale, Arizona Culinary Institute is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Arizona Culinary Institute

#18

Pikes Peak Community College

Colorado Springs, CO

Pikes Peak Community College ranked #18 on this year’s Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools list. PPCC is a large public school located in the suburb of Colorado Springs.

Full Culinary Arts at Pikes Peak Community College Report

With a ranking of #19, Wake Technical Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for culinary arts students. Wake Technical Community College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Raleigh.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Wake Technical Community College

#20

El Centro College

Dallas, TX

El Centro College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Culinary Arts at El Centro College Report

#21

Trident Technical College

Charleston, SC

Trident Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #21 on the list. Trident Technical College is a large public school located in the city of Charleston.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Trident Technical College

#22

Helms College

Macon, GA

Helms College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Macon, Helms College is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

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#23

Lee College

Baytown, TX

Lee College landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular culinary arts programs. Located in the small city of Baytown, Lee College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Culinary Arts at Lee College Report

#24

St Philip's College

San Antonio, TX

St Philip’s College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools ranking. Located in the city of San Antonio, St Philip's College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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#25

Culinary Institute Inc

Houston, TX

Culinary Institute Inc landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular culinary arts programs. Culinary Institute LeNotre is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Houston.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Culinary Institute Inc

#26

College of Lake County

Grayslake, IL
#30

Sullivan University

Louisville, KY
#35

Cerritos College

Norwalk, CA
#38

Universidad del Este

Carolina, PR
#39

Central Georgia Technical College

Warner Robins, GA
#41

Scottsdale Community College

Scottsdale, AZ
#47

Grand Rapids Community College

Grand Rapids, MI
#48

Somerset Community College

Somerset, KY

Additional Award Winners

This section represents the remainder of the colleges awarded a Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 640 different United States culinary arts schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Savannah Technical College Savannah, GA
51 West Kentucky Community and Technical College Paducah, KY
53 Cuyahoga Community College District Cleveland, OH
54 Orange Coast College Costa Mesa, CA
54 Hillsborough Community College Tampa, FL
56 Crescent City Bartending School New Orleans, LA
57 Coastal Carolina Community College Jacksonville, NC
57 Niagara County Community College Sanborn, NY
57 ICPR Junior College - General Institutional Hato Rey, PR
57 West Georgia Technical College Waco, GA
61 Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FL
61 Francis Tuttle Technology Center Oklahoma City, OK
63 Georgia Northwestern Technical College Rome, GA
63 The Culinary School of Fort Worth Fort Worth, TX
63 SOWELA Technical Community College Lake Charles, LA
66 Schoolcraft College Livonia, MI
66 San Jacinto Community College Pasadena, TX
66 Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA
66 Atlanta Technical College Atlanta, GA
70 Grossmont College El Cajon, CA
71 International Air and Hospitality Academy Vancouver, WA
71 Western Iowa Tech Community College Sioux City, IA
71 ICPR Junior College - Mayaguez Mayaguez, PR
74 Houston Community College Houston, TX
74 National Louis University Chicago, IL
74 Louisiana Culinary Institute Baton Rouge, LA
77 Southwestern Oregon Community College Coos Bay, OR
77 Guilford Technical Community College Jamestown, NC
77 Gateway Technical College Kenosha, WI
77 Riverside City College Riverside, CA
81 Anne Arundel Community College Arnold, MD
81 Madison Area Technical College Madison, WI
81 College of Southern Nevada Las Vegas, NV
84 University of Hawaii Maui College Kahului, HI
84 Nicholls State University Thibodaux, LA
84 Estrella Mountain Community College Avondale, AZ
87 Los Angeles Trade Technical College Los Angeles, CA
87 ICPR Junior College - Manati Manati, PR
87 Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Perkinston, MS
87 El Paso Community College El Paso, TX
87 Tarrant County College District Fort Worth, TX
87 Southeast Community College Area Lincoln, NE
93 Culinary Tech Center White Plains, NY
93 Long Beach City College Long Beach, CA
93 Joliet Junior College Joliet, IL
96 William T McFatter Technical College Davie, FL
96 Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Valdosta, GA
96 Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Cincinnati, OH
96 Ashland Community and Technical College Ashland, KY
96 Horry-Georgetown Technical College Conway, SC

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional popular schools for Culinary Arts students that almost earned our Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools award.

Rank College Location
101 Central Community College Grand Island, NE
101 Academia Serrant Inc Ponce, PR
101 Delgado Community College New Orleans, LA
101 Atlantic Technical College Coconut Creek, FL
101 Columbus Technical College Columbus, GA
101 Kirkwood Community College Cedar Rapids, IA
101 Clover Park Technical College Lakewood, WA
108 Hennepin Technical College Brooklyn Park, MN
108 Texas State Technical College Waco, TX
108 Saint Paul College Saint Paul, MN
111 South Texas College McAllen, TX
111 Baker College Owosso, MI
111 Tulsa Technology Center Tulsa, OK
114 Maysville Community and Technical College Maysville, KY
114 Lincoln College of Technology - Columbia Columbia, MD
114 Indian Capital Technology Center, Muskogee Muskogee, OK
114 Hudson County Community College Jersey City, NJ
114 Monroe College Bronx, NY
119 Leeward Community College Pearl City, HI
119 SUNY Schenectady County Community College Schenectady, NY
121 Lane Community College Eugene, OR
121 Ozarks Technical Community College Springfield, MO
121 Emily Griffith Technical College Denver, CO
121 Yavapai College Prescott, AZ
121 Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga, CA
126 Lanier Technical College Gainesville, GA
126 Columbia College Sonora, CA
126 Kiamichi Technology Center-McAlester McAlester, OK

Culinary Arts by Region

View the Most Popular Culinary Arts Trade Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

One of 4 majors within the trade school area of study, culinary arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Culinary Arts Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Culinary Arts/Chef Training 10,546
Baking & Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef 5,029
General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts 3,303
Restaurant, Culinary, & Catering Management/Manager 1,394
Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant 786
Other Culinary Arts & Related Services 335
Institutional Food Workers 204
Culinary Science/Culinology 203
Bartending/Bartender 157
Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, & Dining Room Management/Manager 82
Meat Cutting/Meat Cutter 28
Wine Steward/Sommelier 8

Related Major Annual Graduates
Cosmetology 124,611
Funeral & Mortuary Science 2,186
Casino Operations and Services 385
Other Personal & Culinary Services 95

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to U.S. Army Europe Images.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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