A cooking school or culinary school is an institution devoted to education in the art and science of food preparation. It also awards degrees which indicate that a student has undergone a particular curriculum and therefore displays a certain level of competency. Cooking schools are often associated with public restaurants where a student can acquire experience in working in a real environment and perform in many roles.
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Le Cordon Bleu, the culinary arts school, was founded in Paris in 1895 by Marthe Distel. Fannie Farmer, one of the most well-known advocates of scientific cookery opened Miss Farmer's School of Cookery in Boston on August 23rd, 1902. Her's was not the first however, as she herself graduated and was subsequently principal of the Boston Cooking School, which was founded by the Women's Education Association (WEA) in Boston in 1879. The advent of the Boston Cooking School was probably the most influential but at the time a cooking school already existed in New York City.
Some schools, such as the Culinary Institute of America and Le Cordon Bleu, offer programs through which a chef may demonstrate his or her knowledge and skills and be given certification. Others, such as Baltimore International College, Stratford University, or Johnson and Wales University, offer programs whereby students gain either an Associate's or Bachelor's degree. There are also a few, such as Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, or Manchester Community College in Connecticut, where students receive upon graduation not only an Associate's degree but also certification by the American Culinary Federation, the largest professional chefs' organization in North America.