Learning By Doing
On-Campus Restaurant Experience
On-the-Job Training in World-Class Restaurants
Time to get to work! You’ll be thrown into the mix in these real-world, live-action classrooms. With the most on-campus public restaurants of any culinary college, CIA offers you big-time experience honing your skills and preparing for the food industry that you won’t get anywhere else. Feel the energy as you prepare dishes in the fast-moving kitchen and serve paying customers in the dining room. And our expert faculty will be right there to guide and mentor you.
New York Campus
American Bounty Restaurant
It’s all about “local” as you use fresh ingredients to create modern American dishes and determine how seasonal availability impacts quality and price. You’ll also learn quick and efficient service, and ID the components of the full-service bar.
The Bocuse Restaurant
Get super-creative with new interpretations of French classics using innovative techniques like sous vide. A highlight of your casual yet sophisticated tableside service experience—preparing liquid nitrogen ice cream in front of guests!
Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici
You’ll feel like you’re actually working in a restaurant in Italy! Present and serve classic Italian dishes in an authentic villa setting, offering guests fresh produce, cheese, and cured meats with a diverse selection of Italian wines and other beverages.
Apple Pie Bakery Café
Get immersed in every step of running a real bakery café. When you’re not crafting creative pastries, baked goods, and savory items, you’re front-and-center in the dining room and takeout area, providing first-class customer service.
Post Road Brew House
This pop-up restaurant is a great opportunity for you to learn what it takes to bring a concept to life from the ground up. All of the skills you have learned throughout your time at CIA will come into play as you focus on developing and constantly refining processes and programs that work in the restaurant. You’ll be immersed in the world of craft beer and refined gastro pub food while providing exemplary service in a casual setting.
California Campus
Gatehouse Restaurant
It’s the grand finale—a capstone experience bringing together your culinary, baking and pastry, hospitality, and beverage management learning. You’ll use local ingredients to create contemporary dishes offered in a table d’hotel menu structure.
The Bakery Café by Ghirardelli
Your day is full—making breakfast pastries in the morning; preparing soups, salads, sandwiches, and sides for lunch; and offering a full menu of house beverages. You’ll also learn key principles of service and management in this fully operational retail café.
Texas Campus
Savor
Find creative inspiration in ingredients and techniques from around the world in this bright, casual restaurant space. You will apply everything you’ve learned in an open, state-of-the-art kitchen and an intimate dining room setting.
CIA Bakery Café
When this café pops up, you’ll pop in to prepare and serve freshly baked bread, cookies, and other desserts in a real retail café environment. Breakfast and lunch items are available for dine-in or takeout during select times of the year.
Chat With a Student
Are you curious about what it’s really like to attend CIA? We’ve got you covered. Our students are ready to answer the questions you haven’t asked anyone else, share their own personal experiences, and give you genuine advice—because they’ve gone through it, too.
Also in this Section
Internship: Real Life, Experience
There’s only one way to see what it’s really like out there in the food industry—an awesome internship experience (or “externship,” as we like to call it in this industry)!