Le Cordon Bleu

To CIA: Culinary Schools Every Foodie Should Know This Teacher's' Day

Quick Summary

Apple is the universal symbol for Teacher's' Day, something that keeps the doctor away (for good reason), and something chefs snap up and turn into delicious dishes by peeling, cutting, chopping, pureeing, or cooking. So for Teacher's’ Day 2026, here’s shifting the lens a little to the institutions that have given the world its greatest chefs. These places have given the world the gift of famous chefs like Julia Child, Anthony Bourdain and Cédric Grolet.

Deep Dive

Every legendary chef has a mentor behind them, and nowhere is that clearer than at the culinary institutions that have spent decades, sometimes over a century, training the industry's biggest names. With Teacher's Day 2026 putting the spotlight back on the people who teach us, it's worth looking at the schools whose instructors have shaped modern gastronomy: institutions like Le Cordon Bleu and the Culinary Institute of America, where technique is passed down from chef to student, generation after generation.

What makes a culinary school ‘legendary’ isn't just its age. It's the training methods that have stood the test of time, the mentors whose names carry weight in kitchens worldwide, and the alumni networks that keep opening doors decades after graduation. Here are eight institutions that define culinary excellence and the chefs who prove it.

1. Le Cordon Bleu (Paris, France: Estd. 1895)

Le Cordon Bleu began life as a cookery magazine before journalist Marthe Distel and chef Henri-Paul Pellaprat turned it into a school in 1895. Chef Henri-Paul Pellaprat himself taught there for over three decades, mentoring students who went on to define French gastronomy, including the food critic Curnonsky and chef Raymond Oliver. Today, under the Cointreau family's leadership since 1984, Le Cordon Bleu has grown into a global network of over 35 institutes across 20 countries, training roughly 20,000 students a year, all of whom are no less deserving of being honoured on Teacher's Day.

Famous alumni:

• Julia Child: The legendary American chef and television icon who helped bring French cuisine into American homes through ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ and ‘The French Chef’.

• Mary Berry: Beloved British baker, cookbook author and television personality who has written around 75 cookbooks and has become one of Britain’s most recognisable culinary figures.

• Gastón Acurio: Celebrated Peruvian chef and restaurateur who helped elevate Peruvian cuisine onto the international culinary stage. Le Cordon Bleu lists him among its notable alumni.

• Pooja Dhingra: Indian pastry chef and entrepreneur who founded Le15 Patisserie and was named among Forbes’ 30 influential personalities under 30 in India.

• Nancy Silverton: Acclaimed American chef, baker and author who became a major champion of sourdough and artisan bread in the United States.
  

2. The Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park, USA: Estd. 1946)

Founded as the New Haven Restaurant Institute to train returning World War II veterans, the CIA moved to its current Hyde Park campus in 1972 and became the benchmark for American culinary education. Its training model features rigorous kitchen rotations, farm-to-table practice, and a faculty stacked with Certified Master Chefs, which has produced a network of more than 55,000 alumni working across the food industry, all of whom are the perfect candidates for Teacher's Day, given their indelible and invaluable contributions to the world of culinary arts. 

Famous alumni:

• Anthony Bourdain: Author and Emmy-winning host of ‘Parts Unknown’; his storytelling transformed the experience of food and culture.

• Duff Goldman: Celebrity pastry chef who is the Star of Food Network's Ace of Cakes and founder of Charm City Cakes in Baltimore.

• Larry Forgione: Often called the ‘Godfather of American Cooking’, he has won numerous accolades and awards in his lifetime in the fine dining scene.

• Anne Burrell: Celebrity chef who hosted the Food Network show Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and was also the co-host of Worst Cooks in America.

3. ALMA: The International School of Italian Cuisine (Colorno, Italy: Estd. 2004)

Founded by chef Gualtiero Marchesi, widely regarded as the father of modern Italian cuisine, ALMA is based in the iconic Ducal Palace of Colorno in Italy's ‘Food Valley’. Marchesi served as Rector until his death in 2017, shaping a curriculum built around hands-on training across dedicated pasta, pizza, pastry, bakery, gelato and sommelier labs. This place is known for producing chefs specialising in regional Italian cuisine, promising an extraordinary training experience.

Famous alumni:

• Gabriele Rubini (Chef Rubio): Famous Italian chef and television personality known for shows such as ‘Unti e Bisunti’ and ‘Camionisti in Trattoria’.

• Allen Huynh: Canadian chef of Vietnamese heritage who went from ALMA to Osteria Francescana, working with Massimo Bottura.

• Doina Paulesco: Pastry chef at Massimo Bottura’s three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana in Modena, where she has built her career in high-end pastry.

4. Institut Lyfe (Lyon, France: Estd. 1990)

Opened under the patronage of chef Paul Bocuse, Institut Lyfe was once called Institut Paul Bocuse in honour of the chef, but later changed its name to reflect the school’s broader vision. This school was the first to introduce hospitality and cooking into formal university degree programmes in France. The chef-mentors here often go on to earn the elusive Michelin stars themselves. At the institute's own training restaurant, Saisons, chef Davy Tissot, a graduate and instructor, won the prestigious Bocuse d'Or global cooking championship in 2021.

Famous alumni:

• Fabrizio Mellino: Three-Michelin-starred chef behind Quattro Passi in Nerano, Italy, continuing his family’s celebrated culinary legacy.

• César Troisgros: Fourth-generation chef of the legendary Maison Troisgros, carrying one of France’s most influential culinary dynasties.

• Emily Roux: Michelin-starred chef and co-owner of Restaurant Caractère in London, known for her modern, ingredient-driven cooking.

• Hrishikesh Desai: Michelin-starred British-Indian chef and Managing Director of Farlam Hall, known for refined cooking rooted in local ingredients.

5. École Ducasse (Paris, France: Estd. 1999)

Founded by Alain Ducasse, who is the second chef to have the most Michelin stars (21) in the world (the first being Joël Robuchon with 31 Michelin stars), École Ducasse trains students under the philosophy of ‘master more than cooking’. This culinary school blends technical skill with sustainability and entrepreneurship, leaning more towards the pastry arts. The instructors here are all Michelin-starred professionals and Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, France's highest craft honour.

Famous alumni:

• Cédric Grolet: World-renowned French pastry chef celebrated for his hyper-realistic trompe-l'œil fruit pastries and innovating traditional French desserts. He’s the executive chef at Le Meurice in Paris.

• Daniel Boulud: Acclaimed French chef and restaurateur behind the Daniel restaurant empire in New York, which has a Michelin star, with more restaurants across the globe from Singapore to Dubai.

• Nadia Santini: Pioneering Italian chef of Dal Pescatore, one of Italy’s most celebrated restaurants, and a prominent woman in the fine dining scene.

• Jessica Préalpato: Acclaimed French pastry chef known for her ‘desseralité’ philosophy, emphasising natural sweetness, fruit and vegetables over conventional pastry excess.

6. Basque Culinary Center (San Sebastián, Spain: Estd. 2009)

Founded jointly by Mondragon University and seven of Spain's most celebrated chefs, including Juan Mari Arzak, Martín Berasategui, and Karlos Arguiñano, the Basque Culinary Centre was Spain's first institution to offer official university-level gastronomy education. Its mentors are the same chefs whose restaurants carry multiple Michelin stars, making the mentor-to-student pipeline unusually direct. This place is known for combining a culinary degree with food science and business, drawing over 4,300 students from 35+ countries since its opening.

Notable alumni:

• María Gómez: Chef and owner of Magoga in Cartagena, whose cuisine celebrates the countryside of Cartagena and the Mediterranean Sea, mixing modern and traditional fare.

• Martina Puigvert: Head chef of Les Cols in Olot, bringing a contemporary perspective to the cuisine of Catalonia’s Garrotxa region.

• Javi Rivero and Gorka Rico: Chef-owners of AMA in Tolosa, known for a contemporary approach rooted in Basque ingredients and traditions.

• José Olave: Chef associated with Yakumanka, bringing his Basque culinary training to an international restaurant setting.

• Lázaro Fernández: Sommelier at Wineissocial, representing the growing role of wine professionals within the Basque Culinary Centre alumni network.

7. FERRANDI Paris (Paris, France: Estd. 1920)

Nicknamed the ‘Harvard of Gastronomy’, FERRANDI was founded by the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry and today holds a rare grande école accreditation shared only with Institut Paul Bocuse among culinary schools in France. Instruction comes largely from Meilleurs Ouvriers de France chefs, and the school reports a 98% employment rate within three months of graduation.

Notable alumni:

• Jacques Lameloise: Legendary Burgundian chef who led Maison Lameloise to three Michelin stars and became one of France’s most celebrated haute-cuisine figures.

• William Ledeuil: Michelin-starred chef and founder of Ze Kitchen Galerie in Paris, known for an inventive cuisine influenced by Southeast Asian flavours.

• Gontran Cherrier: Internationally recognised baker and pastry chef whose eponymous bakeries have expanded across France, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.

8. Hattori Nutrition College (Tokyo, Japan)

Founded in 1939, Hattori Nutrition College in Tokyo is known for combining professional culinary training with nutrition and dietetics. Dr Yukio Hattori, who became the school’s principal in 1977, was also famous as the culinary commentator on Japan’s ‘Iron Chef’. The college has an international outlook, with culinary exchange programs and partnerships spanning countries such as France, Italy, Belgium, South Korea, and China, and renowned chefs from around the world have taught its students. 

Notable alumni:

• Shin Harada: Owner-chef of ‘Shin Harada’, formerly Ristorante Aroma-Fresca. He graduated from Hattori’s Culinary Arts program and has spent decades at the forefront of Italian cuisine in Japan.

• Yurika Shirato: Pastry chef at Anniversary who won the TV ‘Champion Kiwami’ cake-making competition and became chief pastry chef at Atelier Anniversary Waseda.

• Junichi Takahashi: A Hattori graduate who joined ‘Noma’ in Denmark in 2011 after training in Tokyo, building his career at one of the world's most influential restaurants.

The Institutions at a Glance

Celebrating Culinary Professors This Teacher's Day 

There is no better teacher than a chef who many might remember fondly, from international figures like Anthony Bourdain and Julia Child to Indian chefs like Sanjeev Kapoor and Vikas Khanna. Chefs like that have been shaping food trends and bringing innovation to global kitchens, and bringing their zest for food to those who might not be aware of the joys hiding in the simple act of savouring and relishing a dish.