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Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School

Le Cordon Bleu (French for "blue ribbon") is an international group of cooking schools teaching French cuisine.
The origin of the school comes from L'Ordre des Chevaliers du Saint Esprit an elite group of French knights that were created in 1578. Each member was awarded the Cross of the Holy Spirit, which hung from a blue ribbon. The group became known for their extravagant and luxurious banquets, known as "cordon bleu." While these dinners ended with the French Revolution, the name remained synonymous with excellent cooking.

The name was adopted by French culinary magazine, La Cuisiniere Cordon Bleu, founded by Marthe Distel in the early 19th century. The magazine began offering special lessons by some of the best chefs in France. These grew into a cooking school that opened in Paris in 1895 and quickly became one of the most elite cooking schools in the world.
In 1990 the school went international opening a school in London, England. Since then Cordon Blue schools have opened in: Adelaide and Sydney, Australia; Seoul, Korea; Ottawa, Canada; Tokyo, Japan; Lima, Peru; and several cities in the United States. In total 12,000 students attend a Cordon Bleu school each year. Le Cordon Bleu has also expanded, issuing successful cookbooks and a line of kitchen ware.

While each Cordon Bleu school offers its own list of short courses, matching local demand, the "Classic Cycle" is common to all their schools. This consists of six ten-week courses – three in "cuisine" and three in "pâtisserie". Each course, if successfully completed, leads to the award of a certificte, at basic, intermediate, or advanced level. Students who complete all three levels in the same field are awarded the Diplôme de Cuisine or the Diplôme de Pâtisserie. Those who complete all six courses are awarded the Grand Diplome.

Le Cordon Bleu’s role as an educational leader at the forefront of the hospitality industry, has been our mission and as we continue to work closely with our industry peers to meet current and future needs. We have been successful at extending the classroom experience through the addition of support materials such as books, digital tools and on-line learning. We partner with other leaders in gastronomy, culture and education. Through strong consulting and licensing, we are able to adapt our expertise to any need and fill any gap. Our philosophy is based on the French “Art de Vivre”, the art of living. This is part of every culture and what the hospitality industry as a whole strives to uphold and support. The French have a strong history with the names of Escoffier and Bocuse, though separated by a century, continue to inspire and help direct our future. Today’s chef is no longer just an artist, but a manager, a chemist, a businessperson, an entrepreneur. The challenge for them is how to successfully adapt to modern demands while respecting and maintaining the traditions that have been the cornerstone of gastronomy.

See:
• Culinary Schools
• Culinary Institute of America
• French Culinary Institute

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• Chef
• Celebrity chef
• List of Chefs
• Pastry Chef
• Dessert wine
• Sous chef

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Le Cordon Bleu".