Culinary Internship Semester

On-the-Job Training in World-Class Restaurants

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)! And that’s just what you’ll get with CIA’s unparalleled industry contacts at your fingertips. During your semester-long, résumé-building internship at one of more than 2,000 CIA-approved locations, you’ll interact with professionals, build an industry network, and be a part of the action in a real work environment. When you graduate, you’ll be so ready.

Here’s just a small sampling of the industry segments and companies that recruit CIA interns to work in their kitchens and within their organizations:

CIA baking & pastry arts student on internship using a piping bag to make chocolates.

Baking and Pastry

CIA Internships - Bread Alone Bakery logo.
CIA Internships - Charm City Cakes logo.
CIA Internships - Jacques Torres Chocolate logo.
CIA Internships - King Arthur Flour Bakery logo.

Corporate R&D

CIA Internships - Edlong Dairy Technologies logo.
CIA Internships - McCormick & Company logo.
CIA Internships - Sabra logo.
CIA Internships - Sonic Drive-in logo.

Foodservice Management/Corporate Dining

CIA Internships - Aramark logo.
CIA Internships - Compass Group logo.
CIA Internships - Delaware North logo.
Google logo, one of the companies offering internships to CIA students.

Grocery/Consumer Packaged Goods

CIA Internships - Fairway Market logo.
CIA Internships - H-E-B Grocery logo.
CIA Internships - Wegmans logo.
CIA Internships - Whole Foods logo.

Hospitality/Catering

CIA Internships - Abigail Kirsch logo.
CIA Internships - The Bonura Hospitality Group logo.
CIA Internships - Legends Hospitality logo.
CIA Internships - Union Square Hospitality Group logo.

Lodging

CIA Internships - The Broadmoor Hotel logo.
CIA Internships - The Greenbrier logo.
CIA Internships - Inn at Little Washington logo.
CIA Internships - Ritz Carlton logo.

Restaurant

CIA Internships - Jean-Georges logo.
CIA Internships - Morimoto logo.
CIA Internships - Restaurant Daniel logo.
CIA Internships - Roy Yamaguchi’s Restaurant logo.

Travel/Resort

CIA Internships - American Cruise Lines logo.
CIA Internships - Four Seasons logo.
CIA Internships - Hershey Entertainment & Resorts logo.
CIA Internships - Walt Disney World logo.

Wine and Beverage

CIA Internships - Beringer Wine Estates logo.
CIA Internships - Clif Family Winery logo
CIA Internships - Del Dotto Vineyards logo.
CIA Internships - J Vineyards & Winery logo.

What’s it Like Being a CIA Intern?

Read all about it in student Julia Spondike’s four-part blog series about her exciting internship experience at McCormick & Company, a global leader in flavor:

A CIA student waiting a table at the CIA student-run Bocuse restaurant on campus.

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

Restaurants: Learning By Doing

Time to get to work! You’ll be thrown into the mix in these real-world, live-action classrooms. 

The Culinary Institute of America