2026 Best Culinary Arts/Chef Training Schools in California
Culinary Arts/Chef Training is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools to find the best for culinary arts/chef training students.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Culinary Arts/Chef Training in California
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the culinary arts/chef training degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Culinary Arts/Chef Training
Our analysis ranked Institute Of Culinary Education Los Angeles the best school in the country for a degree in culinary arts/chef training. Institute Of Culinary Education Los Angeles is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Pasadena. About 229 culinary arts/chef training degrees were awarded at Institute Of Culinary Education Los Angeles in the most recent year. Culinary Arts/chef Training graduates of Institute Of Culinary Education Los Angeles earn a median of $22,759 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $6,777 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in culinary arts/chef training from Institute Of Culinary Education Los Angeles
Students looking for a strong culinary arts/chef training program will find one at Cet San Jose, which ranked #2. Located in the city of San Jose, Cet San Jose is a small private not-for-profit university. Cet San Jose awarded about 12 culinary arts/chef training degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their culinary arts/chef training degree from Cet San Jose earn around $28,998 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $6,837.
See the full culinary arts/chef training program report for Cet San Jose
Hacienda La Puente Adult Education is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in culinary arts/chef training, ranking #3. Set in the suburb of La Puente, Hacienda La Puente Adult Education is a small public institution. There were roughly 21 culinary arts/chef training students who graduated with this degree at Hacienda La Puente Adult Education in the most recent data year. Graduates of the culinary arts/chef training program make about $9,467 in their early career.
Read more about the culinary arts/chef training program at Hacienda La Puente Adult Education
More Culinary Arts/Chef Training Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 3 schools evaluated.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
