Providence, North Miami, Denver, and Charlotte
Baking & Pastry Arts, Culinary Arts, Food Service Management
Background Info
Johnson & Wales University was founded in 1914, and operates four campuses. The first and largest campus is at Providence, Rhode Island. The other campuses are at North Miami, Florida, Denver, Colorado, and Charlotte, North Carolina. It is arguably the largest food service educator in the world.
It is ranked as one of the top 3 Hospitality Colleges for 2010, as examined by the American Universities Admissions Program, which takes into account international reputation. Johnson & Wales University also offers many other courses, but of interest here are the ones related to the culinary arts.
Courses Offered
Not all campuses offer the complete range of culinary and hospitality degrees, so this section will identify which campuses offer which programs. PV stands for the Providence campus, NM for North Miami, DV for Denver, and CL for Charlotte.
Associate Degree in Baking & Pastry Arts – PV, NM, DV, CL
Associate Degree in Culinary Arts – PV, NM, DV, CL
Bachelor’s Degree in Baking & Pastry Arts – PV
Culinary Nutrition – PV, DV
Food Service Entrepreneurship – PV
Online Programs
Culinary Arts and Food Service Management – PV, NM, DV, CL – Also available online.
Baking & Pastry Arts and Food Service Management – PV, NM, DV, CL – Also available online.
Notable Features
Johnson & Wales offers Study Abroad courses which integrate into academic programs. These courses allow students to get exposure in locations across the globe, widening both their cultural sensitivities as well as international outlook. Students in the College of Culinary Arts will certainly take notice of the food.
All four campuses offer fully-equipped kitchens with specialized kitchens for various skills. Pantries, bake shops, hot and cold kitchens, chocolate workshops, baking science labs, and even microbiology labs (for Culinary Nutrition courses).
Each of the campuses either owns or is affiliated with hospitality properties that open up doors for internship and real-world experience for students.
Aside from joining culinary competitions both in the country and internationally, Johnson & Wales University’s School of Culinary Arts also holds contests within its walls, and between the four campuses. On the international level, the IKA / Culinary Olympics is open the junior and senior students and in 2008 the faculty and student team took home some medals – 1 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze.
Notable Alumni
Aaron Sanchez, a celebrity chef of some renown is one of the many celebrated alumni from these halls. He is the executive chef and owner of two restaurants, Centrico, and Paladar. His appearance on Iron Chef America ended in a draw with Masaharu Morimoto.
Tyler Florence, the handsome TV chef and all-around celebrity, gained fame after graduating by entering and rising up the ranks of many acclaimed restaurants in New York. Today, his name is familiar and equated with good food and cooking.
For Canadians, the name Anna Olson should be familiar. She’s been on TV for years now, and she is yet another of Johnson & Wales University’s finest alumni.