These hands‑on, 30‑hour courses provide a focused introduction to the core techniques and global flavor systems that shape professional cooking. Each course centers on one foundational skill—such as soups and stocks, international sauces, core cooking methods, grains and plant‑forward ingredients, or globally inspired salads and breakfasts—to show how cuisines develop across the world.
Designed for working chefs, the series also builds the technical base needed for ProChef® Level II and III expectations while strengthening a global culinary mindset: recognizing patterns across cuisines, adapting techniques intentionally, and bringing cultural awareness to the plate. Led by an exceptional team of CIA chefs with deep international expertise, each course blends authentic technique, cultural context, and advanced professional practice.
This immersive, five-day professional course explores charcuterie through both a classical and contemporary lens, combining foundational curing techniques with modern approaches to flavor development, ingredient functionality, sustainability, and production. Designed for culinary professionals, the course emphasizes the science, craftsmanship, and adaptability required to produce high-quality charcuterie in today’s kitchens.
Participants engage in daily hands-on production while developing a deeper understanding of curing, smoking, fermentation, preservation, and texture development. The curriculum examines how traditional methods continue to evolve through the use of modern equipment, globally inspired flavor profiles, alternative curing strategies, and plant-forward applications.
Throughout the course, participants will produce a range of fresh, smoked, cured, and fermented items while exploring the role of seasoning ratios, ingredient interaction, sanitation, and process control in achieving consistent results. Contemporary topics such as nitrate-free curing approaches, natural curing agents, fat replacement strategies, and texture enhancement are integrated alongside classic techniques and production methods.
The course follows a progressive five-day structure:
Emphasis is placed on thoughtful production, cross-utilization of ingredients, minimizing waste, and translating charcuterie techniques into diverse culinary settings including restaurants, catering, retail, and specialty food production. Participants leave with a deeper understanding of both the technical foundations and evolving possibilities of contemporary charcuterie.
January 11–15, 2027
Explore the dynamic culinary traditions of Southeast Asia through a lens of balance, contrast, and aromatic complexity. This course examines the foundational flavor architecture of Southeast Asian cuisines, where sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami interplay with fresh herbs, fermented elements, and spice pastes.
Participants will engage in hands-on exploration of essential ingredients such as fish sauce, shrimp paste, coconut, tamarind, curries, and regional herbs, alongside techniques like pounding, fermenting, grilling, and quick cooking. Day two focuses on iconic dishes from countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia, while day three translates these traditions into modern, plant-forward and globally adaptable applications.
Emphasis is placed on flavor layering, efficient production, and minimizing waste through full ingredient utilization.
January 20–22, 2027
This course examines the bold, ingredient-driven cuisine of Northeastern Mexico, where grilling, roasting, and flour-based traditions define the culinary landscape. With a focus on simplicity and precision, participants will explore how high-quality ingredients and technique create deeply satisfying flavors.
Day one introduces key regional ingredients such as dried chiles, wheat flour, dairy, and meats, alongside equipment like planchas and live-fire setups. Day two centers on iconic dishes such as cabrito, carne asada, and traditional breads, emphasizing technique and timing.
On day three, participants will reinterpret these dishes through a modern lens, exploring lighter, plant-forward variations and contemporary plating while maintaining the integrity of regional flavors. Sustainability and whole-animal utilization are key themes throughout.
February 1–3, 2027
Delve into the complex and aromatic cuisines of North Africa, where spice blends, preservation techniques, and slow cooking create deeply layered flavors. This course explores the culinary traditions of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt, with a focus on the interplay of spices, herbs, and preserved ingredients.
Participants will work with foundational elements such as ras el hanout, harissa, preserved lemons, olives, and grains, while learning techniques like braising, steaming, and clay pot cooking. Day two highlights iconic dishes such as tagines and couscous, with an emphasis on technique and flavor development.
Day three transitions to modern applications, including refined presentations, plant-forward adaptations, and efficient production strategies that reduce waste and maximize ingredient use.
February 16–18, 2027
This course explores the foundational techniques and flavor philosophies of Southern Europe, focusing on Italy, France, and Spain. Participants will examine how regional identity, seasonality, and ingredient quality shape these globally influential cuisines.
Day one emphasizes sensory analysis of core ingredients—olive oils, cheeses, cured items, wines, and fresh produce—alongside essential techniques such as emulsification, roasting, braising, and dough preparation.
Day two focuses on iconic regional dishes, highlighting the precision and discipline behind seemingly simple preparations.
On day three, participants reinterpret these classics through a contemporary lens, incorporating plant-forward approaches, modern plating, and streamlined production methods. The course also addresses sustainability, including waste reduction and responsible sourcing within Mediterranean culinary frameworks.
March 1–3, 2027
Explore the dynamic culinary identities of Argentina and Brazil, where indigenous traditions, European influences, and regional biodiversity converge. This course examines how fire, fermentation, and bold seasoning define these cuisines, alongside the role of agriculture, geography, and migration.
Day one focuses on sensory immersion through key ingredients such as beef, cassava, tropical fruits, beans, chimichurri, dendê oil, and regional spices. Participants will explore foundational techniques including live-fire cooking, grilling, stewing, and preservation.
Day two highlights iconic dishes—from Argentine asado and empanadas to Brazilian feijoada and moqueca—emphasizing technique, timing, and flavor development.
Day three moves into modern applications, including plant-forward adaptations, refined presentations, and menu integration strategies that reflect global trends while respecting tradition.
Sustainability, whole-animal utilization, and efficient production are woven throughout, supporting contemporary kitchen practices.
March 15–17, 2027
This course explores the vibrant and diverse cuisines of the Caribbean, shaped by indigenous, African, European, and Asian influences. Participants will examine how history, trade, and climate have created bold, layered flavor systems built on spice, acidity, and slow development.
Day one introduces key ingredients such as allspice, Scotch bonnet peppers, coconut, plantains, legumes, and preserved products, alongside techniques like marinating, smoking, stewing, and frying. Sensory exercises focus on balancing heat, sweetness, acidity, and aromatics.
Day two centers on iconic dishes such as jerk preparations, rice and peas, curries, and braised meats, with an emphasis on controlled production and flavor layering.
Day three explores contemporary interpretations, including lighter, plant-forward variations and cross-utilization of ingredients to reduce waste.
Participants leave with a deeper understanding of how to translate Caribbean flavor profiles into modern, versatile menu applications.
March 30 – April 1, 2027
This course explores the interconnected culinary traditions of the Northern Mediterranean, where the cuisines of Greece, Turkey, and the Levant share a deep foundation of hospitality, seasonality, and layered flavor built from simple, high-quality ingredients. Participants will examine how geography, trade, and cultural exchange have shaped a cuisine defined by balance, freshness, and technique-driven preparation.
Day one focuses on sensory immersion through core ingredients such as olive oil, grains, legumes, yogurt, fresh herbs, spices, tahini, citrus, and preserved elements. Participants will explore foundational techniques including grilling, roasting, braising, fermentation, and dough work, alongside the use of traditional and modern equipment.
Day two highlights iconic dishes—from mezze traditions and flatbreads to braised meats, seafood preparations, and vegetable-forward classics—emphasizing flavor building, textural contrast, and efficient production.
Day three transitions to contemporary applications, where participants reinterpret these traditions through modern plating, plant-forward strategies, and menu integration suited to today’s kitchens. Emphasis is placed on cross-utilization of ingredients, sustainability, and reducing waste while maintaining the integrity and spirit of the cuisine.
Participants leave with a deeper understanding of the region’s shared culinary language and the ability to translate its techniques and flavors into versatile, modern menu formats.
April 5–7, 2027
Desserts remain central to the modern dining experience—even as guests increasingly seek plant-forward and health-conscious options that still deliver indulgence, richness, and satisfaction. Today’s pastry professionals are challenged to create desserts that meet evolving dietary preferences without compromising texture, structure, flavor, or visual appeal. This intensive five-day, hands-on course provides chefs and bakers with the technical foundation and practical skills needed to successfully develop contemporary plant-forward desserts for restaurant, bakery, hotel, and foodservice applications.
Moving well beyond simple ingredient substitution, the course explores the science and functionality of plant-based fats, proteins, starches, hydrocolloids, fibers, and alternative sweeteners within professional pastry systems. Through a combination of lectures, demonstrations, hands-on production, tastings, and sensory evaluation, participants will examine how traditional pastry ingredients such as eggs, dairy, gluten, and refined sugars contribute to aeration, emulsification, structure, moisture retention, stability, browning, and flavor development—and how those functions can be replicated or reimagined using plant-forward alternatives.
Participants will prepare a range of contemporary dessert components including cakes, custards, mousses, creams, frozen desserts, sauces, and plated elements while evaluating the performance, advantages, and limitations of various ingredient systems. Emphasis will be placed on balancing flavor, texture, nutrition, presentation, and operational practicality in a professional kitchen environment.
By the end of the course, chefs will be equipped to confidently adapt and formulate desserts for a variety of dietary and menu applications, culminating in the creation of an original plated plant-forward dessert that demonstrates technical proficiency, thoughtful composition, and a refined guest experience.
May 24–28, 2027
This five-day professional Continuing Education course explores Southern foodways through the lens of the African Diaspora, tracing the deep culinary connections among African American Atlantic cuisines, Afro-Caribbean foodways, and Indigenous traditions that shaped the American South and the broader Atlantic world. Rooted in history, migration, resilience, and cultural exchange, the course examines how generations of cooks transformed available ingredients, agricultural knowledge, preservation methods, and cooking techniques into enduring regional cuisines that continue to influence contemporary food culture today.
Through a combination of hands-on cooking, lectures, tastings, ingredient exploration, and cultural discussion, participants will investigate the historical and social forces that shaped Southern cuisine—from the movement of people and crops across the Atlantic to the development of local food traditions grounded in land stewardship, adaptation, and community. Participants will prepare a range of dishes while exploring foundational ingredients such as rice, corn, beans, greens, okra, seafood, peppers, tropical fruits, and heritage grains, alongside techniques including open-fire cooking, braising, preservation, fermentation, stewing, and one-pot preparations that connect culinary traditions across regions and generations.
Emphasis is placed on understanding food as cultural memory and storytelling, highlighting the shared culinary threads that link West African traditions, Caribbean cuisines, Indigenous agricultural practices, and Southern cooking traditions. Discussions will also address the evolution of these foodways within modern restaurants, food businesses, and contemporary culinary practice, offering participants insight into how chefs today respectfully interpret and preserve these traditions while contributing to their ongoing evolution.
Designed for aspiring culinary professionals, educators, and engaged food enthusiasts, this course provides an inclusive and respectful framework for understanding Southern foodways as dynamic, living expressions of the African Diaspora. By the end of the course, participants will leave with a deeper cultural and historical understanding of Southern cuisine, expanded technical skills, and a broader appreciation for the people, traditions, and stories that continue to shape the culinary landscape of the Atlantic world.
May 10–14, 2027
Hyde Park, NY Location
1946 Campus Dr. | Hyde Park, NY 12538
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Napa, CA Location
500 First Street | Napa, CA 94559
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Singapore Location
21 Tampines Ave 1 Block 31 | Singapore 529757
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St. Helena, CA Location
2555 Main St. | St. Helena, CA 94574
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San Antonio, TX Location
312 Pearl Pkwy, Bldg 3 | San Antonio, TX 78215
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