Celebrity Chefs and Their Cooking School Alma Maters
by Amanda Fornecker
Celebrity chefs don't just magically become stars overnight. In fact, many of them have worked very hard to get where they are today, including a stint in cooking school. If you don't think culinary school can get you to where you want to be, think again. Some of the biggest names in the biz owe the start of their successful cooking careers to cooking school.
1. Alton Brown
Back in the 90s, television wasn't necessarily the same as it is today, which is why Alton Brown desired to give America a better cooking show. In order to accomplish this career goal, Brown (of "Good Eats" and "Iron Chef America" fame) attended cooking school at the New England Culinary Institute and graduated in 1997.
2. Bobby Flay
As part of the first graduating class of the French Culinary Institute in 1984, Bobby Flay has come a long way. Although he dropped out of high school at 17 and worked at a Baskin-Robbins, Flay eventually found his luck within his father's business partner, Joe Allen, owner of the Joe Allen Restaurant. Allen paid his tuition to attend cooking school and earn his culinary arts degree. With Flay's restaurants throughout the country, the rest is cooking-school-success-story history!
3. Mario Batali
Although Mario Batali didn't graduate from cooking school, he did double major in Spanish theater and economics at Rutgers University. He attended Le Cordon Bleu in London for cooking school for a little while, but later decided it wasn't the best route for him at the time. Nonetheless, we think it's perhaps his education, background, and drive to excel that catapulted his career from dishwasher to celebrity chef.
4. Emeril Lagasse
Bam! Did you know that this celebrity chef giant graduated from Johnson & Wales University's College of Culinary Arts in 1978? It's from there that Lagasse went on to create his very own empire with the cooking school foundation he obtained in his early years as a young chef.
5. Guy Fieri
Who doesn't love "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives?!" But Guy Fieri didn't always have the low-down on the hotspots for excellent low-cost food throughout the country. He got his cooking school start at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where he majored in hospitality management and earned his bachelor's degree.
6. Tyler Florence
Another graduate of Johnson & Wales University, Tyler Florence earned his cooking school degree at their College of Culinary Arts in 1991. He also went on to earn an honorary doctorate degree from his cooking school alma mater for his outstanding commitment and excellence in culinary arts.
7. Duff Goldman
Bakers go to cooking school, too. Duff Goldman, aka the "Ace of Cakes," first started out at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he majored in East Asian history and minored in ethics. Following his undergraduate education, Goldman attended the Corcoran School of Art and the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.
8. Giada De Laurentiis
This Italian celebrity chef earned her bachelor's degree from UCLA in 1996 in social anthropology. Giada De Laurentiis then studied baking and pastry at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and has since to work as a food stylist and become a food diva with her own shows on the Food Network and nationwide events.
9. Jamie Oliver
Known as the "Naked Chef," Jamie Oliver actually dropped out of school at the age of 16 due to severe dyslexia. He then attended cooking school, despite his few qualifications, at Westminster Catering College, turning his struggles into something at which he would later be extremely successful.
10. Gordon Ramsay
We've all heard of the wrath of "Hell's Kitchen." But that's not where Gordon Ramsay got his start. After an unfortunate knee injury from football at the age of 19, Ramsay attempted to hone his skills and interest in cooking. He enrolled at a local college and studied hotel management. Looks like it worked out for him!
11. Rocco Dispirito
Rocco Dispirito started his culinary career by graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, in 1986. He then went on to earn his bachelor's degree in business from Boston University in 1990. Dispirito is particularly known for his fusion cooking and Italian-American fare. This celebrity chef has had restaurants, talk shows, and television shows that have catapulted him to fame.
12. Michael Symon
Michael Symon also began his culinary career at cooking school -- he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, in 1990. His story begins when he broke his arm during wrestling practice in high school. It was then that he began working at a ribs restaurant as a cook.
13. Julia Child
Although Julia Child did not attend cooking school, specifically, she did graduate from Smith College in 1934 with a bachelor's degree in history. This was a huge accomplishment for a woman at that time. Additionally, she went on to educate America on French cuisine, writing books, and starting her own television program in 1963. She was truly one of the first "celebrity" chefs.
1. Alton Brown
Back in the 90s, television wasn't necessarily the same as it is today, which is why Alton Brown desired to give America a better cooking show. In order to accomplish this career goal, Brown (of "Good Eats" and "Iron Chef America" fame) attended cooking school at the New England Culinary Institute and graduated in 1997.
2. Bobby Flay
As part of the first graduating class of the French Culinary Institute in 1984, Bobby Flay has come a long way. Although he dropped out of high school at 17 and worked at a Baskin-Robbins, Flay eventually found his luck within his father's business partner, Joe Allen, owner of the Joe Allen Restaurant. Allen paid his tuition to attend cooking school and earn his culinary arts degree. With Flay's restaurants throughout the country, the rest is cooking-school-success-story history!
3. Mario Batali
Although Mario Batali didn't graduate from cooking school, he did double major in Spanish theater and economics at Rutgers University. He attended Le Cordon Bleu in London for cooking school for a little while, but later decided it wasn't the best route for him at the time. Nonetheless, we think it's perhaps his education, background, and drive to excel that catapulted his career from dishwasher to celebrity chef.
4. Emeril Lagasse
Bam! Did you know that this celebrity chef giant graduated from Johnson & Wales University's College of Culinary Arts in 1978? It's from there that Lagasse went on to create his very own empire with the cooking school foundation he obtained in his early years as a young chef.
5. Guy Fieri
Who doesn't love "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives?!" But Guy Fieri didn't always have the low-down on the hotspots for excellent low-cost food throughout the country. He got his cooking school start at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where he majored in hospitality management and earned his bachelor's degree.
6. Tyler Florence
Another graduate of Johnson & Wales University, Tyler Florence earned his cooking school degree at their College of Culinary Arts in 1991. He also went on to earn an honorary doctorate degree from his cooking school alma mater for his outstanding commitment and excellence in culinary arts.
7. Duff Goldman
Bakers go to cooking school, too. Duff Goldman, aka the "Ace of Cakes," first started out at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he majored in East Asian history and minored in ethics. Following his undergraduate education, Goldman attended the Corcoran School of Art and the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.
8. Giada De Laurentiis
This Italian celebrity chef earned her bachelor's degree from UCLA in 1996 in social anthropology. Giada De Laurentiis then studied baking and pastry at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and has since to work as a food stylist and become a food diva with her own shows on the Food Network and nationwide events.
9. Jamie Oliver
Known as the "Naked Chef," Jamie Oliver actually dropped out of school at the age of 16 due to severe dyslexia. He then attended cooking school, despite his few qualifications, at Westminster Catering College, turning his struggles into something at which he would later be extremely successful.
10. Gordon Ramsay
We've all heard of the wrath of "Hell's Kitchen." But that's not where Gordon Ramsay got his start. After an unfortunate knee injury from football at the age of 19, Ramsay attempted to hone his skills and interest in cooking. He enrolled at a local college and studied hotel management. Looks like it worked out for him!
11. Rocco Dispirito
Rocco Dispirito started his culinary career by graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, in 1986. He then went on to earn his bachelor's degree in business from Boston University in 1990. Dispirito is particularly known for his fusion cooking and Italian-American fare. This celebrity chef has had restaurants, talk shows, and television shows that have catapulted him to fame.
12. Michael Symon
Michael Symon also began his culinary career at cooking school -- he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, in 1990. His story begins when he broke his arm during wrestling practice in high school. It was then that he began working at a ribs restaurant as a cook.
13. Julia Child
Although Julia Child did not attend cooking school, specifically, she did graduate from Smith College in 1934 with a bachelor's degree in history. This was a huge accomplishment for a woman at that time. Additionally, she went on to educate America on French cuisine, writing books, and starting her own television program in 1963. She was truly one of the first "celebrity" chefs.
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