Francois Dionot founded L’Academie de Cuisine in 1976. At the time, he was at the apex of a career that had stretched from the prestigious Lausanne Hotel and Culinary School in Switzerland to the rigorous kitchens of French chefs, to some of the finest restaurants in the U.S. As a result of his culinary experience, he became firmly convinced that simple technique and dedicated practice are the true keys to the success of kitchen professionals. With this understanding, and motivated by a passion to bring great food and superior cooking to American kitchens, Francois created L’Academie de Cuisine.

Over the past 30 years, the ongoing success of L’Academie and its students has continued to prove him correct. Today, many of the area’s most renowned chefs owe their success to the culinary education they received here.

L’Academie’s chefs and instructors bring their enthusiasm for gastronomy to recreational and professional students alike. It is the shared passion of Francois and the L’Academie team that have made it the premier culinary institute in the Washington, DC area and recognized as one of the finest culinary schools in the United States.

In 1997, L’Academie de Cuisine was named Cooking School of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. And in 2005, L’Academie was named among the Top 10 Culinary Schools in North America by CookingSchoolsCompared.com.

Our School
L’Academie is divided into two schools: one for students pursuing a professional culinary or pastry arts career and one for recreational students who simply enjoy cooking and want to improve their culinary skills.

The Pros
The professional school consists of two professional training programs: culinary and pastry. Both the Culinary Arts Program and the Pastry Arts Program are one year programs that provide students with a comprehensive educational background in the theory, skills, and techniques of cooking. Intense, small-size classroom training coupled with an invaluable externship experience at a fine-dining restaurant allow our students to graduate with the knowledge and skills to confidently enter the professional culinary field.

The experienced staff of L’Academie de Cuisine have all worked in the culinary industry for many years and know what it takes to succeed. The lessons they’ve learned in professional kitchens are an invaluable resource for our students and ensure that they have both the skills and attitude to succeed. Some of the key goals of our instructors are to:
• Instill an appreciation of the knowledge and skills required in the culinary professions.
• Stress the highest professional standards.
• Provide the necessary knowledge and skills so that, with further experience and discipline, graduates can advance in the professional ranks.
• Demonstrate and teach leadership and management competency.
• Focus on acquiring a sense of responsibility toward colleagues, community, and nation.
• Demand adherence to the highest standards of sanitation, physical hygiene, and safety.
• Encourage the development of a sense of dedication and sacrifice to advance their profession.

The For-Funs (or non-professionals)
L’Academie’s recreational students  come to our instructors to be a part of entertaining classes where they learn new techniques to improve their cooking skills, and widen their knowledge of fine cuisine and wines.

Our recreational instructors are also experienced pros. So, whether you need to learn basic knife skills or advanced cooking techniques, you have the finest teachers in the area helping you along.