CIA Foodies Hands-On Cooking Classes and Boot Camps

CIA Foodies Hands-On Cooking Classes and Boot Camps offers single-day, hands-on cooking classes and multi-day Boot Camps where participants cook like a pro, work in small groups with fellow food lovers, and cook their way through multiple recipes. In these Boot Camps, participants prepare a different menu each day, take part in technical demos, and then sit down with classmates to enjoy the food each group has cooked. Each Boot Camp includes a meal at one of the on-campus restaurants, and options include Best of Boot Camp, Bistro Boot Camp, where participants prepare bistro cuisine such as soups and stews, rustic omelets, and savory tarts, and Baking Boot Camp, where they mix, roll, and shape their way through breads, cookies, quick-breads, and pies.

• Schedule: Boot Camps vary two to five days in length.
• Price: Winter Dining Deals are $30 for lunch (Tuesday–Friday) or $50 for dinner (Tuesday–Thursday).

The program is part of the Culinary Institute of America, which started in 1946 and is a not-for-profit college. CIA has long been recognized as the world’s premier culinary college and is home to 10 restaurants and one brewery across three U.S. campuses, with restaurants that are student-staffed and faculty-led. Class sizes are kept small for a more intimate learning experience, and participants receive expert instruction from CIA’s world-class faculty and expert chef-instructors. CIA Foodies also offers guided tours from CIA students, three-course student-crafted meals through Winter Dining Deals, and the option to plan a culinary vacation, take a fun class, dine in CIA restaurants, tour the campus, or attend an event, and CIA gift cards can be used for these activities.

One testimonial describes a Boot Camp experience as far exceeding very high expectations and recommends attending or gifting a Boot Camp experience. Another testimonial notes the feeling of advancement and accomplishment from working with professionals during Boot Camps. Additional testimonials describe repeated weekend class attendance in San Antonio, enjoyment of art exhibits and a 3D dinner intricately woven into a movie at the table, and a campus visit with contemporary facilities and streets and parking lots named after food. The New York campus is in the heart of the Hudson Valley’s thriving food community, and the region includes a bounty of CIA alumni-owned restaurants and small-batch producers.

Last updated March 19, 2026.