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Culinary Schools in Portland, Oregon (2026-27)

By · Reviewed November 10, 2026 · Editorial policy

There are no credit culinary schools in Portland, Oregon itself: Portland Community College offers food and nutrition classes but no culinary certificate or degree, and the city’s three private culinary schools have all closed. The one credit program within commuting range is Clark College’s McClaskey Culinary Institute in Vancouver, Washington, just across the Columbia River, which offers cuisine and baking & pastry certificates and two Associate of Applied Technology (AAT) degrees. In 2026-27 Clark charges $141.01 per credit to Washington residents and to residents of Oregon border counties, which puts its 105-credit Cuisine Management AAT at about $12,429 (our arithmetic). None of the programs near Portland is accredited by the American Culinary Federation (ACF).

We built this page school by school in November 2026, checking each college’s program pages, its published 2026-27 tuition schedule and the ACF’s list of accredited programs. Where a college publishes a per-credit rate rather than a program total, we multiplied it out; those totals are marked “our arithmetic” or “about”. Knives, uniforms and course fees are extra unless we say otherwise. For every culinary program in the state, including the two ACF-accredited ones in Bend and Coos Bay, see our Oregon culinary schools page.

Culinary programs in and near Portland, Oregon
School Campus Programs (credential) 2026-27 cost ACF status
Clark College, McClaskey Culinary Institute Main campus, Vancouver, WA Cuisine Management AAT (105 credits); Professional Baking and Pastry Arts AAT (104 credits); Cuisine and Baking and Pastry Arts certificates of achievement (43 and 42 credits) $141.01 per credit (Washington residents and Oregon border counties); AAT about $12,429; certificate about $5,327 Not accredited
Linn-Benton Community College Albany (outside commuting range) Culinary Arts AAS (90 credits) $171.85 per credit for Oregon residents (year not labelled); about $15,467 Not accredited
Lane Community College Eugene (outside commuting range) Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry one-year certificates (45 credits) Lane’s estimate: $10,301 (culinary) and $9,890 (baking), including course fees Not accredited
Stone Soup PDX (non-credit) Powell Boulevard kitchen and NE Glisan cafe, Portland 12-week culinary job training Reported in 2025 as free, with a $2,500 stipend Not applicable

The closest credit program: Clark College in Vancouver

Cuisine Management and Professional Baking and Pastry Arts (Clark College)

Clark’s Tod and Maxine McClaskey Culinary Institute is in Gaiser Hall on the college’s main Vancouver campus. It runs a retail bakery and food court, a grill and a student-run restaurant that serves lunch on Wednesdays and Thursdays. There are two paths: cuisine, which runs from the 43-credit Cuisine Fundamentals certificate to the 105-credit Cuisine Management AAT, and baking and pastry, which runs from a 42-credit certificate to the 104-credit Professional Baking and Pastry Arts AAT. It is the only baking and pastry credential in the Portland metro.

Two details matter before you apply. First, the degrees are Associates of Applied Technology, not Associates of Applied Science, so ask how credits transfer if a four-year degree is a later goal. Second, the programs are not ACF-accredited, and no Clark page we read claims they are. That does not stop you working as a cook, but check how the program counts toward ACF certification if that matters to you.

Who it suits: Portland and Vancouver residents who want a real credit certificate or degree without moving, and anyone set on baking and pastry. Clark publishes no drive or transit time from Portland, so check TriMet and C-TRAN trip planners for your own route.

The Oregon border-county rate

Clark’s 2026-27 tuition schedule has a column headed “WA Resident & Oregon Border Counties”, at $141.01 per credit or $1,775.50 for 15 credits. The page does not say which Oregon counties count, so do not assume every county in the Portland metro qualifies; ask Clark’s admissions office to confirm your county before you budget. If you do not qualify, the next rate is the “WA Non-Resident Waiver” at $199.33 per credit ($2,371.55 for 15 credits), and the full non-resident rate is $354.99 per credit.

Oregon programs farther away

Linn-Benton Community College, Albany

Linn-Benton’s 90-credit Culinary Arts AAS is a two-year program based on classical French, European and modern cuisines, taught partly in on-campus restaurants. Residents pay $171.85 per credit in tuition and fees, about $15,467 for the degree plus about $500 in supplies (our arithmetic). Albany is too far for a daily commute from Portland for most people; this is an option if you are willing to relocate.

Lane Community College, Eugene

Lane now offers one-year certificates only: Culinary Arts (45 credits, which Lane estimates at $10,301 including $1,200 in culinary course fees) and Baking & Pastry ($9,890). Students work in the Renaissance Room restaurant, and applications for the 2027-28 cohort open in winter term. Lane charges its in-state rate to residents of Washington as well as Oregon, so a Vancouver resident pays the same as a Eugene resident.

What culinary school costs in Portland

Tuition depends on where you live. At Clark, Washington residents and residents of Oregon border counties pay $141.01 per credit; at that rate a full-time quarter of 15 credits is $1,775.50, the Cuisine Management AAT about $12,429 over seven quarters and a certificate about $5,327 over three quarters (our arithmetic). At the non-resident waiver rate the AAT comes to about $16,601. Course fees, knives, uniforms and books are extra at every college.

Housing is the bigger number. HUD’s FY2026 Fair Market Rent (October 2025 to September 2026) for the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area, which includes Clark County in Washington, is $1,570 a month for a studio and $1,677 for a one-bedroom. A year in a studio at that rate is about $18,840, more than the whole Clark degree, so most students who are not living with family or sharing an apartment will need to work while they study.

Free and low-cost culinary training in Portland

Stone Soup PDX is a nonprofit culinary workforce program. As reported in 2025 by the Portland Mercury, it offers 12 weeks of training in three tiers depending on your kitchen experience: food safety, knife skills and cooking techniques; cooking for its cafe and catering clients; and community meals at its Powell Boulevard production kitchen. It also covers résumés and interviewing. Participants received work pants, an apron, a $2,500 stipend and gas money or a Hop pass, and more than 80 people graduated in 2024. Its public cafe is at 7400 NE Glisan in Montavilla.

Confirm it is running before you plan around it: Stone Soup PDX’s website returned an error when we checked, and the same 2025 article reported that a Multnomah County contract funding the program was at risk in the county’s budget. Call or visit the cafe to ask about the next cohort, whether training is still free and who is eligible.

Culinary jobs and pay in Portland

The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area employs about 13,020 restaurant cooks, and its median pay for cooks, bakers and chefs is above the U.S. median for each job.

Job Jobs in the metro area Median pay U.S. median
Restaurant cooks 13,020 $45,200 $37,390
Bakers 2,520 $43,440 $37,160
Chefs and head cooks 1,580 $65,690 $62,470
Food service managers 2,370 $63,840 $69,390

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metropolitan area.

Closed schools you may still see listed

  • Western Culinary Institute / Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Portland (SW 10th Ave, downtown): Western Culinary Institute was sold to Le Cordon Bleu and renamed in 2009; the campus closed in 2017, when all U.S. Le Cordon Bleu campuses shut. Oregon’s closed-schools list says Parchment holds transcripts.
  • The Art Institute of Portland (NW Davis St): closed at the end of 2018. Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) holds transcripts.
  • Oregon Culinary Institute (Goose Hollow): closed July 31, 2020, when its parent, Pioneer Pacific College, closed its campuses. HECC holds transcripts.
  • International Air and Hospitality Academy (Vancouver, WA): announced its closure at the end of 2024.

Portland culinary school FAQs

Are there culinary schools in Portland, Oregon?

Not inside the city any more. Le Cordon Bleu closed in 2017, the Art Institute of Portland in 2018 and Oregon Culinary Institute in 2020, and Portland Community College has no culinary credential. The nearest credit program is Clark College in Vancouver, WA.

What happened to the Portland Culinary Institute?

There was no school by exactly that name; searchers usually mean Oregon Culinary Institute, which closed on July 31, 2020, or Le Cordon Bleu (formerly Western Culinary Institute), which closed in 2017. Transcripts for Oregon Culinary Institute are held by Oregon’s HECC.

How much does culinary school cost near Portland?

At Clark College’s 2026-27 rate of $141.01 per credit, the Cuisine Management AAT costs about $12,429 and a certificate about $5,327 in tuition and fees (our arithmetic), if you are a Washington resident or live in a qualifying Oregon border county.

Are there cooking schools in Portland that are free?

Stone Soup PDX was reported in 2025 to run free 12-week culinary job training with a $2,500 stipend. Its website was down when we checked, so confirm it is running and ask about eligibility.

Are any culinary schools near Portland ACF-accredited?

No. Clark, Linn-Benton and Lane are not on the ACF list. Oregon’s ACF-accredited programs are in Bend and Coos Bay; see the Oregon page.

Is there a culinary school in Portland, Maine?

Yes: Southern Maine Community College in South Portland offers a Culinary Arts associate degree, Maine’s only ACF-accredited program (currently listed by ACF as Conditional). See our Maine culinary schools page.

Nearby and online options

Sources

What changed on this page

  • November 2026: new city guide.