Look no further if you are interested in a culinary school with a national reputation and affordable tuition.
IUP offers a premier culinary arts curriculum for students interested in pursuing a professional career in the food industry. Fully accredited by the American Culinary Federation, the culinary arts department is housed at the IUP Academy of Culinary Arts in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
The Academy of Culinary Arts offers an accelerated sixteen-month culinary program, a baking and pastry arts program and culiinary and bachelor degree combination programs with IUP’s Hospitality Management and Food and Nutrition departments.
In the Culinary Arts major, you will learn culinary techniques such as masterful knife skills and how to create artistic plate presentations. You will discover how to fashion stunning showpieces and how to garnish grand buffets. You’ll learn classical cookery and international cuisines.
At the same time, you will be honing your business skills. You’ll learn how to develop a unique menu and design the kitchen to produce it. You’ll study management and motivation of employees, leadership and communication skills, purchasing and cost controls, and computer applications in food service.
You’ll also learn to apply your skills. First you will operate our gourmet restaurant. And finally you will work with an executive chef during a paid externship in your last semester of culinary studies.
Our Teaching Philosophy
Culinary Arts faculty believe students learn best through a three-step process.
- The first step is comprehensive instruction to understand the why, often called the theory. Why does wine in a marinade tenderize meat, or why does a little ice water make flakier pastries?
- In the second step, demonstration and application, our chefs share the knowledge they have gained from experience. You will watch certified, experienced chefs perform culinary processes correctly and then practice those skills under their guidance.
- The third step is proficiency: mastery of the culinary arts. It is not good enough to know how to create a rich, creamy hollandaise sauce from scratch. You must be able to do it well every time. Our chef instructors will give you the time and personal attention you need to perfect your culinary skills.
IUP’s curriculum is intensive, rigorous and thorough. Our small class sizes allow you to taste, touch and learn through individual hands-on practice every day. The IUP Academy of Culinary Arts helps you to develop the skills, knowledge and work ethic necessary for a lifetime of achievement!