Last Updated on December 22, 2022
Culinary Schools in Canada: Do you want to start a career in the food industry or just want to take some cooking classes to perfect your cooking skills? Acquiring the best culinary education can help you get to your desired professional level a lot easier.
Canada is one of the most popular destination hubs in the world and ranks right after the United States closely followed by Australia and the others. Canada is popular among international students due to many of its benefits such as prestigious institutes of learning that offer quality degree programs, scholarships for international students, and the beauty of the environment.
As an international student, you get to gain experience in a new place, enjoin in the culture, and more. Canada is not exempted from this experience and this may come as a shocker to you but the country has some of the best culinary schools in the world.
While there are many successful chefs that have attained success and fame without attending the best culinary schools, well-respected culinary schools can help you learn the skills, knowledge, artistry, and techniques that you need to rank high in the field. In this article, you will learn about these culinary schools in Canada as well as their requirements to facilitate your admission and start your journey to becoming a world-class chef.
Table of Contents
Best Culinary Schools in Canada
These culinary schools in Canada will teach you how to be a great chef, instilling in you the skills, knowledge, and techniques required to excel in the field and build a successful career in the food industry.
1. George Brown College
George Brown College is one of the culinary schools in Canada and offers certificates, diplomas, degrees, and postgraduate programs in the culinary arts. International and domestic students can apply for any of these programs to develop and enhance culinary skills and build a successful cooking business.
The college offers a blend of theoretical and experiential education students gain the skills and knowledge to achieve a successful career in the current culinary and food industry.
2. Liaison College
Liaison College is a private culinary arts training college founded in 1996, located in Toronto, and recognized among the culinary schools in Canada. The college has 8 campuses located around Canada to provide as many culinary teachings to as many people as possible.
Liaison accepts international and domestic students into the following programs;
- Specialist Chef
- Culinary Management
- Chef De Cuisine
- Personal Chef Diploma
- Hospitality Management
- Cook Advanced
- Cook Basic
Students can choose to study any of the programs on full or part-time study options.
3. Centennial College
The School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts in Centennial College is one of the culinary schools in Canada and provides culinary education to international and domestic students. The program length is 2 years after which graduates are offered an Ontario College Diploma as proof of their skills in the culinary arts.
The college diploma program will teach you the necessary skills and knowledge to create exquisite menus and dishes by global food trends and flavors and equip you with skills to kick start a successful career.
4. Stratford Chefs School
Stratford Chefs School is one of the culinary schools in Canada, located in Ontario, and has been training individuals to become chefs since 1983. The college is focused on the innovative, hands-on training of high-quality, aspiring chefs and culinary entrepreneurs.
The college offers a 32-week professional diploma for experienced chefs to learn new skills and take them to a much higher level.
5. The Culinary Art School of Ontario
Chef School is one of the culinary schools in Canada, located in Mississauga, Ontario. Here, international and domestic students are welcome to enroll in any of its four culinary diploma programs. The programs are;
- Culinary Arts Diploma
- Sous Chef Diploma
- Professional Chef Diploma and
- Culinary Management Diploma
These programs offered by the Chef School are designed to teach students the practical and creative skills required to start on their path to becoming a professional chef.
6. Nella Cucina Culinary School
Nella Cucina Culinary School is one of the culinary schools in Canada located in Toronto and offers cooking classes where you will learn the latest food trends and cooking techniques. Here, all students are accepted and you don’t have to have any existing culinary experience nor academic qualifications to enroll.
The school has class formats that are divided into four broad categories, they are;
- Hands-on Individual
- Hands-on Team
- Interactive Demo
- Specialty Tastings, Guest Speakers, and Demonstrations
The Nella Cucina Culinary School does not offer any diploma or degree programs unlike the colleges listed here but the advantage of this is that the culinary education here is cheaper and has lesser requirements to enroll.
7. Cirillo’s Academy
Cirillo’s Academy is your go-to place if you want to polish your cooking skills and learn modern culinary techniques. It is one of the culinary schools in Canada, located in Toronto, and just like the school above does not offer diploma or other degree programs.
Cirillo’s will equip you with the latest skills in the food industry, learn tips and tricks on how to master your kitchen, and guide you on setting up your restaurant business.
8. Dish Cooking Studio
How about a studio that teaches you all about cooking? Well, here you have it.
The Dish Cooking Studio is one of the culinary schools in Canada located in Ontario and has been teaching people to cook and become professional chefs since 2000.
Another exciting thing about this particular school is that it implements virtual learning, that is, you can join online cooking classes from the comfort of your home. This makes it possible for anyone anywhere in the world to gain top-notch cooking techniques and become a professional chef in no time.
This school does not offer any form of diploma or degree to its students just the skills to make you become a seasoned cook and set up your own business or simply make great meals for personal occasions.
9. Maplehern Cooking School
Maplehern is one of the culinary schools in Canada, it is located in the Toronto province and is an extension of Chez Laurent, a local restaurant. The cooking school focuses on holistic nutrition and guides students as to how they can improve their health through the food they eat.
The classes are held on different days, 3 hours to complete, are hands-on, include a recipe booklet to take home, and a full meal. Classes are mostly held on Saturdays from 10 am to 1 pm which costs $75 per student.
Note that the classes held here do not provide any certification, diploma, or degree of any sort, instead, you are only learning to enhance your cooking skill which you can apply at home or business reasons.
10. Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)
NAIT is one of the culinary schools in Canada, they offer a Diploma in Culinary Arts to international and domestic students both on-campus and virtual to allow students to choose the option that suits them best. The program is completed in 2 years and provides students with relevant high-quality culinary training.
11. Lethbridge College
Lethbridge College is located in Alberta, Canada, and offers culinary programs to international and domestic students this makes it rank among the culinary schools in Canada. The culinary programs at Lethbridge take 2 years to complete and studies are delivered in blended (on-campus and online), asynchronous and synchronous.
7 Culinary Schools in Canada for International Students
- Holland College
- The Culinary Arts School of Ontario
- George Brown College
- Vancouver Community College
- Liaison College
- Northwest Culinary Academy
- Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa Culinary Arts Institute
1. Holland College
Holland College is located in Prince Edwards Island, Canada. The college accepts international students into her culinary program which takes 2 years to complete and earn a Diploma in Culinary Arts. International students interested in pursuing a degree in culinary arts at Holland College have to fulfill the academic requirements, including the English language test and valid study permit.
The program equips students with a comprehensive understanding of culinary skills and business training to prepare them for the full scope of restaurant operations.
2. The Culinary Arts School of Ontario
The Culinary Arts School of Ontario is one of the culinary schools in Canada and accepts international students into its programs, further details, as well as the application link of this school, has been provided above.
3. George Brown College
George Brown College is among the list of culinary schools and accepts international students into its programs, details and the application link of this school have been provided above.
4. Vancouver Community College
This is one of the culinary schools in Canada that accepts international students. The school has two culinary programs, Certificate in Asian Culinary Arts and Diploma in Culinary Arts, completed in 5 months and 2 years respectively.
5. Liaison College
Liaison College is one of the schools in Canada that offers culinary programs, they accept international students into these programs. Further details about the program have been provided above.
6. Northwest Culinary Academy
Northwest Culinary Academy is one of the culinary schools in Canada and they accept international students into its culinary programs. The programs include Professional Culinary Arts Diploma, Professional Bread & Pastry Arts Diploma, and One Year Culinary & Pastry/Bread.
7. Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa Culinary Arts Institute
For 125, the Le Cordon Bleu has been providing world-renowned education in the culinary arts, applying distinctive teaching methods where students gain experience through hands-on learning. The institution offers a couple of short courses, a diploma, and a Bachelor of Integrated Food Sciences.
Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa Culinary Arts Institute is one of the culinary schools in Canada and they accept international students.
Is Canada good for culinary arts?
Canada is not among the top countries to study culinary arts, countries like Peru, France, Italy, U.S, Australia, and Japan take the lead in teaching culinary arts. However, you can get culinary arts degrees at universities and colleges in Canada.
How long is a culinary school in Canada?
It takes two years to earn a diploma in culinary arts in Canada but a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts takes 3 or 4 years depending on the institution.
How much does culinary school cost in Canada?
The tuition fee of culinary schools in Canada varies by program and student’s location. As usual, it is cheaper for domestic students and costly for international students.
The cost of culinary schools in Canada for domestic students ranges between $6,550 and $11,200 depending on your preferred program. While for international students, it ranges between $9,220 and $27,912.
How much money do chefs make in Canada?
Chefs in Canada typically earn around 72,000 CAD annually, however, salaries range from 35,500 CAD (lowest) to 113,000 CAD (highest).
With these FAQs attended to, carefully go through the requirements for culinary schools below, you’d need it to prepare for your admission application ultimately facilitating your admission;
Culinary School Requirements
The requirements of culinary schools differ, however, we can gather the general and basic ones but your preferred culinary school may ask for more. Below are the general ones;
- Applicant must have completed high school and show proof such as high school diploma, official high school transcripts, GED, HISET, high school equivalency documentation, or an acceptable home school certificate.
- A non-refundable application fee of $25 could be more or less and some schools may not even require it
- Reference letters
- Essay (topic vary by institution)
- Valid ID card
- Study permit or student visa for international students
- Language proficiency tests such as TOEFL or IELTS for English language, DELE for the Spanish language, DELF or DALF for the French language, and DSH, TestDAF, OSD, or TELF for the German language (may not be required by some schools)
These are the details of the culinary schools in Canada, links to their websites were also provided to help you learn more about specific program requirements and thereby facilitate your admission.