Welcome to
San Diego Culinary Classes
We are a sought-after resource for education and expert, hands-on training to launch or enhance successful careers as chefs and baking and pastry professionals.
Complete with commercial kitchens and comfortable classrooms, our staff of seasoned, certified culinary instructors is eager to inspire, explain, demonstrate and provide intense one-on-one supervision for culinary enthusiasts eager to learn by doing. Providing expert guidance, our instructors are patient, passionate and fully dedicated to sharing hard-earned industry wisdom and essential commercial kitchen skills and menu-enhancing strategies.
Public Cooking Classes
Why CCAI?
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Immersive Personalized Approach
to chef training and certification. CCAI provides the tools, careful instruction and in-the-kitchen inspiration to confidently launch your culinary career.
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We keep our curriculum fresh and classes small
We never have more than 10 students—taught by an experienced chef assisted by never less than two other cooking and baking professionals, at the ready to assist students in our modern kitchen classrooms .
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We continually re-imagine our curriculum
We are aware of industry trends and evolving food sensibilities and values. Students are encouraged to share personal food experiences and ideas that can be explored in their lessons.
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Extensive Externship program for culinary students
The Externship program is fulfilled at the California Culinary Arts restaurant, and is designed to enable student have real work experience in restaurants.
Typical day of multi-faceted learning at the Institute
To maximize student learning, instructors always arrive early to prepare the classrooms and kitchens so teaching can begin “on the dot” at the time scheduled.
With foundational material fresh in their minds, students begin work in the kitchen, supplied with that day’s ingredients and all necessary pots, pans and other tools. Under close guidance, students prepare meals and hone their craft, making newly-learned professional skills their own.
After students finish cooking or baking that day’s food, they plate it and present it to instructors for evaluation and one-on-one feedback.
Culinary Certificate Program offers wide spectrum expertise and training
The Culinary Certificate Program is an intensive eight months program including four months of externship, covering essential culinary themes and professional skills for preparing breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
Nutritional awareness and all necessary kitchen skills are applied to mastering a full spectrum of stocks, sauces, soups, starch cookery, meat and seafood cookery, vegetarian menus, salads—with recipes drawn from domestic and international cuisine.
Baking and Pastry Certificate Program provides broad based knowledge and skills
The Baking and Pastry Certificate Program is an intensive ten months program including four months of externship, covering beginning and advanced yeast-based artisan bread and rolls, pastry doughs and batters, breakfast pastries, quick breads, filled and assembly cakes and torts, wedding cakes, cookies, custards, creams ,mousses and soufflés, icing, glazes and sauces, frozen desserts, pies, tarts and fruit desserts.
To earn their certification, for their final exam students are required to create a complex plated dessert menu. Working individually and as a team, students have two weeks to plan and experiment in the kitchen, ultimately creating three complex, world-class desserts that will be professionally evaluated. This intensive and comprehensive system has been described by students as an inspiring and practical experience, giving them the skills to step confidently into their culinary career.