Become a Chef or Culinary Professional in Bethesda, Maryland
near Washington, DC
L'Academie de Cuisine
5021 Wilson Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814
About L'Academie de Cuisine
The L'Academie de Cuisine - Bethesda, Maryland was started as a recreational cooking class back in 1976. The school was founded by Francois Dionot, a native of France, who attended culinary school and hotel management school at the 
prestigious Lausanne in Switzerland.
Chef Francois moved to the United States in the late 1960's, worked at several hotel restaurants and decided there was a need for Euopean formal culinary training. After becoming a citizen in 1976, he opened the school.
L'Academie de Cuisine offers over 1,000 recreational classes each year taught by guest celebrity chefs from around the world. The staff instructors are well trained with a unique insight on the philosphoy of Chef Dionot. They bring valuable information to the students and are there help you achieve what you need to succeed.
For over 27 years, the school has been teaching its students class French techniques who have gone out and become sprofessional chefs. The school has become recognised as the premier culinary school in the Washington, DC region and is considered one of the finest schools in the United States.
Cooking Classes & Career Programs
The classes at L'Academie de Cuisine are designed for both home cooks who want to learn how to be a better cook as well as individuals interested in becoming professinal chefs. They have classes for novices as well as seasoned home pros. Depending on how much you want to learn or how much you want to participate will determine the best class for you.
Career Programs
Culinary Arts - The Culinary Career program is a one-year, intensive training curriculum that has classroom study, hands-on kitchen experience and a paid externship to prepare students to be ready to enter into the culinary world.
The program is broken down into 3 phases, each designed to develop the skills needed to be sucessful in a very competitive market. By the time you are done with these classes, you will have the confidence to work under any chef in the country.
You will learn both the techical and theoretical techniques of classic French cooking in small classes with lots of personal attention by an expert instructor. Once you have the necessary competence in all areas of fine food preparation and presentation you will add to your skills by expanding your menus to other international cuisines.
With management, operations, and career development lectures to augment your theoretical and practical culinary instruction, this period of competitive training helps enrich your overall vocational preparation and allows you to develop a realistic attitude toward work in the culinary industry.
The final phase is comprised of 4% classroom study and 96% externship training where you will work in a professional kitchen to hone your skills under the "watchful" eye of a seasoned chef. It is a paid job where you will be able to get the feel of a real life situation. Think of it as "reality cooking".
The school has found over the years that this combination of classroom time along with hands on experience works to develop a well rounded professional.
Pastry Arts - an exciting 30 week program with classroom study, hands-on kitchen training and a paid externship to hone those skills to get you ready for the real world. The entire program is divided into three 10-week sessions and is for serious students who are interested in a career in the Pastry Arts.
The first 10-week session involves classroom study as well as hands on pastry production. Here you will learn the classic techniques and skills needed to create French Pastries and desserts. You will be taught by trained professionals the schools 4 P's philosophy - Purchasing, Preparation, Presentation and Palate.
A typical day consists of a lecture and technique demonstration, followed by a hands-on production session in L'Academie's professionally equipped pastry kitchen.
In the second session, you will work to improve the skills you learned in the first session and add artistic skills that are essential to mastering fine pastries. You will learn the lastes decoration styles and use higher quality ingredients to learn how to balance flavor and texture. During this second session you will start your externship at one of the fine-dining restaurants, hotels, pastry shops or other professional establishment to give you hands-on experience.
During the third session you will work full time in your externship but still return to the classroom once a week for more targeted study. Part of this classroom time will be spent exchanging ideas with your classmates and describing your experiences in the field.
Accreditation
L'Academie de Cuisine is accredited by the Maryland Higher Education Commission as an independant educational facility. Nationally, it is accredited by the Accrediting council for continuing Education and Training (ACCET).
It also has a unique partnership with Montgomery college so as a graduate, you can transfer to Montgomery College and receive 11 credits towards a certificate in Hospitality management.
Going to Cooking School in Bethesda, Maryland
L'Academie de Cuisine is located about 15 miles from downtown Washington, DC. More than just monuments, embassies and museums, Washington has many lively historic neighborhoods and a vibrant music and arts scene.
The nation's capital is rich in culture and tradition and you can experience a wide array of international cuisines with some truly great chefs in our world-class restaurants and hotels.
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