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LATEST NEWS | MEET THE FOUNDER | MEET THE DEAN
If you're a journalist, we hope you’ll visit us at The International Culinary Center—also home to The French Culinary Institute and the Italian Culinary Academy —in the heart of New York City’s Soho. You can pose your questions to our distinguished Dean, Cesare Casella, as well as our quoteworthy Chef-Instructors. Sit in on the most authentic Italian cooking classes available anywhere. Ogle our new no-holds-barred Italian kitchen. Witness one of the riveting demos held weekly in the renowned International Culinary Theatre. To make an appointment, just contact Wendy Knight or call 212-219-8890. We look forward to seeing you.
02.25.08 DMNews Magazine Talks to FCI CEO and Founder Dorothy Hamilton About The School's Newly-Launched "Friends & Family" Ad Campaign
Learn more about the school's new “Friends & Family” advertising campaign featuring David Chang, Dan Barber, Bobby Flay, Donatella Arpaia, Danny Meyer, Jacques Torres and many more. READ MORE
01.31.08 The Italian Trade Commission Awards $50,000 in Scholarship Funds
The Italian Trade Commission today awarded six lucky recipients with scholarships to help fund studies at The Italian Culinary Academy. The ICA, located in New York City, is the sister school to the world-renown French Culinary Institute, and offers the country’s most comprehensive education in authentic Italian cuisine. READ MORE
08.14.07 Learn to Cook Fish, Italian Style
TheCityCook.com's Kate McDonough recently took our Specialized Italian Course: Italian Fish & Shellfish. While many of her friends were at some outdoor dining spot sipping a glass of chilled pinot grigio, or at least an air conditioned movie, she was in a hot kitchen gutting a fish and she couldn't have been happier. READ MORE
05.14.07 The Italian Culinary Academy Welcomes Visiting Italian Chef-Instructor, Jury Mula
The Italian Culinary Academy is proud to host visiting Italian Chef Instructor Jury Mula of the Apro AlbaBarolo cooking school as part of an innovative culinary exchange program created by The Italian Culinary Foundation. Chef Jury, who hails from Milan, will work hand-in-hand with students, helping them to gain a solid fluency in authentic Italian cuisine. READ MORE
09.18.06 The French Culinary Institute Launches New Italian Studies Program
The French Culinary Institute (The FCI), located at The International Culinary Center, launches its new Italian Studies program with a delicious first course, Fundamentals of Italian Cooking, beginning October 16, 2006 in New York City. The Italian Studies Program maintains the heritage of comprehensive training at The French Culinary Institute. READ MORE
03.06.06 The French Culinary Institute Launches New Italian Program: Fundamentals of Italian Cooking, Italian Culinary Experience, and Essentials of Italian Cooking 1, 2 + 3
No country in the world combines its passion for food, family, friends and daily life better than Italy. So learning to become a top Italian chef requires intense training beyond the usual techniques and classic recipes of all regions of Italy. It demands Total Immersion(SM) in the Italian language and culture. For this reason and in its ongoing commitment to offer the most well-rounded and authentic culinary training in the world, The French Culinary Institute (The FCI) is proud to introduce its newest program: Italian Culinary Experience. READ MORE
06.08.06 The first comprehensive educational program on Italian Cuisine in the United States is born
An intensive, integrated course of study in Italian Cuisine from the Italian Culinary Academy - created by The French Culinary Institute of New York (U.S.) in conjunction with ALMA of Colorno (Parma, Italy). READ MORE
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 A lifelong Francophile and epicure, Dorothy Cann Hamilton founded The French Culinary Institute, one of the nation’s most outstanding professional cooking schools, in 1984. Having educated over 5,000 students in the fundamentals of cuisine, the school is proud to count many of America’s most prominent chefs among its graduates.
Hamilton has had a distinguished career in vocational education. Her outstanding reputation for creating innovative programs in gastronomy has resulted in a number of accolades and tributes. Included among the awards for her work in culinary education are the 2006 IACP Award of Excellence for Vocational Cooking School; Chevalier du Mérite Agricole (Agricultural Merit Knighthood) from the French government; a knighting by the Association Internationale de Maîtres Conseil dans la Gastronomie Française; the Outstanding American Educator award from Madrid Fusion, the Diplôme d’Honneur of the Vatel Club des Etats-Unis, and Dame de l’Anée of the Académie Culinaire de France in 2006. In 2001, Hamilton received the prestigious Ordre National du Mérite (National Order of Merit Award) from the French government, a designation second only to the legendary Legion of Honor.
Hamilton was elected Chairwoman of the James Beard Foundation Board of Trustees in 2005 and charged with hiring a new director and setting the course for the Foundation’s future. Elected chairwoman of The American Institute of Wine and Food, Hamilton was soon appointed chairwoman emeritus for life. She has served on the advisory boards of many national and international organizations, including the National Association of Training & Technical Schools, Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, and the U.S. Department of Education.
Currently, Hamilton is on the board of Abraham House, an organization that trains ex-offenders from New York City’s Rikers Island prison for reintegration into society; a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and Les Dames d’ Escoffier; and is a Sopexa Chevalier. She served in the Peace Corps in Thailand from 1972 to 1974, where she lectured at Mahidol University, Bangkok, and taught at teacher training colleges around the country.
In 2006, Hamilton conceived and hosted a new 26-part television series called, “Chef’s Story.” Following a format inspired by Inside the Actor’s Studio, each half-hour program focuses on a master chef whose life, work, and evolution as a food legend is thoroughly explored. Shot on location in New York at The FCI before a student audience, the series will debut in spring 2007.
Hamilton’s latest endeavor has been the conception and realization of The International Culinary Center, which will open in fall 2006 as the new home of The FCI, The Italian Culinary Academy and newly added continuing education classes. The school’s expansion of curriculum, customized kitchen classrooms and demonstration areas further demonstrates Hamilton’s vision for the future of The FCI as a destination for chefs, students and all people interested in the culinary arts.
Hamilton holds a B.A. with honors from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, and an M.B.A. from New York University.
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 The Italian Studies program at The International Culinary Center in New York City offers aspiring Italian cooks at all levels the most well-rounded and authentic Italian culinary training available anywhere. Designed and overseen by acclaimed author, restaurant owner, and Master Chef Cesare Casella, our programs offer a variety of exhilarating Total ImmersionSM courses and schedules — including an exciting option to train in Italy.
Our unique culinary history and Soho location (we also house the legendary French Culinary Institute) offers the ideal setting to immerse yourself in everything Italian and food-related both in and out of class. Working with accomplished Chef-Instructors in our new custom-designed Italian kitchen (replete with brick-lined, custom-made pizza oven, stainless steel work tables, Italian-marbled chef’s station, and the industry’s finest equipment), you can master the skills, techniques and classic recipes necessary to hone your repertoire of cuisine from every region of Italy.
Our Italian Culinary Experience program offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to train on both sides of the Atlantic, learning in our kitchens in New York City and at ALMA in Parma, Italy. This 29-week course also includes Italian language training and a chance to put your new skills to the test during an internship in the kitchen of one of Italy’s top restaurants — making it ideal for anyone who wants to eat, drink, live and breathe Italian cuisine, language, and culture. Students can get a smaller — but just as delicious — taste in an 8-session Essentials of Italian Cooking class.
Whatever course you choose, you’ll discover why Italians are so passionate about food and how to awaken that passion within yourself while following in the footsteps of culinary legends of the past, present, and future. |
