Determining the top 10 culinary schools in the United States is, of course, a subjective matter. There is more than one way to decide what the top school is, and everyone might have their own different set of criteria to judge these various schools and programs on. Some people might put more of an emphasis on the prestige of the school, while others might judge the programs on the chefs that have attended them, and others might be more interested in the programs teaching with more innovative techniques or using the best equipment. The following list of the top 10 culinary schools, however, was determined by a vote among chefs and other culinary professionals at the end of 2009.

These are the top 10 culinary schools in the United States of 2009 according to the Chef2Chef community with rank, school name, location, number of votes and score:

1. Texas Culinary Academy, Austin TX, 420 votes, 4.22 score
2. Culinary Institute of America – Hyde Park Campus, Hyde Park NY, 446 votes, 3.46 score
3. French Culinary Institute, New York NY, 124 votes, 2.95 score
4. JNA Institute of Culinary Arts, Philadelphia PA, 129 votes, 2.91 score
5. Scottsdale Culinary Institute, Scottsdale AZ, 164 votes, 2.83 score
6. Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids MI, 175 votes, 2.79 score
7. New England Culinary Institute, Montpelier VT, 78 votes, 2.77 score
8. Orlando Culinary Academy, Orlando FL, 21 votes, 2.76 score
9. The Art Institute of Dallas, Dallas TX, 4 votes, 2.75 score
10. Johnson & Wales University, Providence RI, 120 votes, 2.73 score

Now, if this were a list of the top 10 culinary schools in the world, it would be a completely different matter altogether. The Cordon Bleu in France would most likely be at the top of the list, for starters, as well as several other prestigious schools throughout Europe, Asia and Australia. The Culinary Institute of America would definitely still be on the list, but smaller schools like Grand Rapids Community College would not. But if you’re going to attend a culinary school in the U.S., these are the schools more professionals recommend.

If you’re going to become a chef, you’re going to need to figure out how to get into culinary school first. Careers in the culinary arts can be very rewarding and the field has been growing exponentially, but it’s hard to get your foot in the door if you don’t have the education to back up your skills. If you are even just half-mindedly considering this type of career, you will need to think about how to get into culinary school long before you embark on your new professional life.

If you want to get into a good culinary school, you will need to start early. This is the first thing most experts tell prospective students that are wondering how to get into culinary school. If you can start developing your skills as early as high school and have something to show when you apply to these culinary programs, you will have a better chance of getting in. Even if you are an older adult student, you can begin participating in competitions and attending community classes to enhance your knowledge base.

There is no point trying to get into a culinary school if it is not going to provide a worthwhile education, so the next step is to find a reputable school. Only apply to schools that have good reputations among chefs, restaurateurs, journalists and former students. A little research goes a long way here.

It will help you determine how to get into culinary school programs if you look for simple information like deadlines, too. Each school has its own academic sessions that start and end at a particular time of the year and different deadlines for applying, so you need to find this out far in advance. They may also have varying requirements for admission that must be fulfilled before you can apply.

The requirements will vary for each culinary school depending on whether it is a vocational school, a community college, a four-year university or a prestigious institution. If you want to learn how to apply to culinary school, first decide which schools you want to attend and contact them individually.

Although the culinary school admission requirements will vary from one program to the next, there are a few things you can expect regardless of the type of institution you are applying to. But the type of school will definitely have a lot to do with the requirements that you are expected to fulfill. The culinary school requirements for a vocational school, for example, will differ greatly than those for a prestigious institution such as the Culinary Institute of America that has the most prestigious young chefs vying for admittance. But in either case, you will at least be required to fill out a detailed application.

When you apply for culinary school, you will be required to gather information on your own about the requirements. It is important to understand exactly what documents you need, how you are supposed to submit them, what information is required, and what format the admissions committee expects everything to be in. Applications often require written statements or essays detailing why you want to start a culinary career, for example. This is the most important of all culinary school requirements, as it is the first impression they get of you, so you’ll definitely want to take some time filling out the application.

The culinary school admission requirements for more competitive programs are likely to include a lengthy list of documents and information. They may also expect you to have experience including seminars, conferences and research about the culinary industry. Two- and four-year culinary programs will require a high school transcript, letters of reference from professors or employers and a detailed resume of your culinary experience. Some vocational programs may only ask for proof of a high school diploma or GED, while others may require work experience, and others might test your knowledge of weights and measurements or skills with important techniques.

The culinary school requirements that are expected of you will depend on the type of school you apply to, so if you want to take this route there is no time like the present to look into what the various programs require. Then you’ll be ready to go when you decide to apply.

If any one of you wants to secure a degree in culinary science other than in US, there are umpteen institutions abroad, mainly in France, Australia and UK. These are internationally reputed schools offering Baking and Pastry Arts, Catering Management, Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Entertainment Management, Foodservice Management, Hospitality Management, Restaurant Management, Sport and Recreation Management, Travel and Tourism Management, Wine and Spirits and Beverages Management.

Many of these institutions provide Associates Degree, Bachelors Degree, Certificate Programs, Continuing Education Programs, Diploma Program, Masters Degree, MBA Degree and Post Graduate Certificate Programs.

Le Cordon Blue International is one of the best schools in the world, if you are serious about starting a career in culinary arts. Le Cordon Blue International has campuses in London and Mexico City offering courses like Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Arts. Founded in a long tradition of excellence, Le Cordon Bleus reputation has endured by actively keeping their courses up to date and industry relevant by constantly adapting to the current and future needs of culinary, tourism and hospitality services.

Tante Marie, Surrey in England is another reputed culinary school in UK with cookery courses for everyone. They also offer many scholarships and apprenticeships. Since 1954, the Tante Marie has been offering various extensive facilities for a high practical content in all their courses and is accredited by The British Accreditation Council (BAC)for Independent Further and Higher Education.

Edinburgh Cooking School of Food and Wine is a similar culinary school that offers various dynamic culinary programs for students across the globe. This school is located at Newliston in Edinburgh. Accredited by BAC, it offers one-day and evening courses to diploma, certificate and short term courses.

Ottawa Culinary Arts Institute is a well known culinary school in Canada. Other internationally acclaimed institutes in Canada include The Culinary Arts School of Ontario at Mississauga in Ontario, Loyalist College at Belleville in Ontario, George Brown College at Toronto in Ontario, Canadore College at North Bay in Ontario, Vancouver Community College at Vancouver in British Colombia as well as the Constellation College of Hospitality, which is located in Toronto, Ontario.

Le Cordon Blue School in Australia is another reputed culinary school in the world. It is located at Regency Park in South Australia. It offers Culinary, Bachelors and Masters programs in Baking and Pastry Arts, Hospitality and Restaurant Management as well as in Culinary Arts.

India is also a noteworthy destination of learning culinary science. International Institute of Culinary Arts, New Delhi is a famous culinary institute. Other well known institutes in India are College of Hospitality and Tourism situated at Gurgaon in Haryana, Culinary Academy of India at Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh and Mumbai College of Hotel Management & Catering Technology located in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Italian Institute for Advanced Culinary & Pastry Arts at Satriano in Italy is a well known European culinary school. France too is an ideal place of reputed culinary learning centers. Ecole Internationale de Pâtisserie, Perpignan; Cuisine et Tradition School of Provencale Cuisine in Arles offering Mini & Classic Gourmand and Gastronomicom at Vias are the famous French culinary schools.

As culinary schools are becoming increasingly popular in US and Europe, the numbers of aspirants who wish to join these schools are also on the rise. These days, culinary schools have a greater responsibility to discharge rather than just being subject oriented. The overall personality of a culinary student is bound to change when he or she passes out of the culinary school.

There are many national as well as international culinary schools both in US and abroad offering a wide variety of scholarships. When you want to join a culinary school, you must fully be aware of its courses and programs and whether you can adjust yourself to those. You should not simply limit yourselves to brochures and literatures about these schools. If possible, talk to any of the students who are enrolled in the institution which you wish to join.

Another advantage is that you have a wider choice of different culinary programs and they include Baking and Pastry Arts, Catering Management, Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Entertainment Management, Foodservice Management, Hospitality as well as Restaurant Management, Sports and Recreation Management, Travel and Tourism Management and also Wine and Spirits and Beverages Management. You can go in for any of these which you think will suit you the most. Almost in every state in US, you have at least one reputed culinary school and would never be a difficulty in selecting the institute of your choice.

The elite culinary institutes with international acceptance include The International Culinary School, Le Cordon Blue International and The French Culinary Institute. Other Schools which offer similar programs include Strayer University, Johnson and Wales University, The Culinary Institute of America, University of Phoenix and Kaplan Higher Education Group. All these schools are reputed in offering various degrees such as Associate Degree, MBA Degree, Bachelors Degree and Masters Degree. Not only this, these institutes are accredited with various other diploma programs and continuing education programs.

There are many universities which provide online courses and many of you who are busy with your current jobs can really opt for these online centers like Ashford University which has distance learning programs to its credit. University of Phoenix and Kaplan University also offer you similar online degrees.

So, as a potential student you are required to know the pros and cons of these programs offered by various institutes. You must simply not get satisfied with a certification at the end and the most important point is whether the degree you are being offered at the completion of a program helps your career or not. The culinary courses and programs that you learn from universities are the basis of your academics and this forms the foundation for your professional excellence. Be sure to get what you fully deserve.

Thus, selecting a culinary institute for studies till placement in a reputed company is a vast process and requires a wise approach from your part. All the institutions including those offering culinary management programs are characterized by their curriculum which leans on a wider scope of personality development. When all these factors are met, you are sure to come up in bright colors!