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Culinary Schools in Chicago (2026-27)

By · Reviewed November 10, 2026 · Editorial policy

There are nine culinary schools in Chicago and its commuting range that teach cooking or baking for college credit: two in the city, six suburban community colleges and one just over the Indiana line in East Chicago. For a City of Chicago resident the lowest-cost credit route is the Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute at Kennedy-King College, at $163 a credit in 2026-27, or about $9,780 for a 60-credit associate degree (our arithmetic; the credit total is assumed). The programs accredited by the American Culinary Federation (ACF) are Kendall College at National Louis University downtown, College of DuPage, Joliet Junior College, Moraine Valley Community College and, from July 2026, Ivy Tech’s Lake County campus in East Chicago, Indiana. Washburne is not ACF-accredited.

We built this page school by school in November 2026, using each college’s own published 2026-27 tuition and its program pages, and the ACF’s accredited-program list for accreditation dates. Where a college publishes a per-credit or per-term rate, we multiplied it out; those totals say “about” or “our arithmetic”. Prices are tuition and mandatory fees only. For every culinary program elsewhere in the state, see our Illinois culinary schools page; for northwest Indiana, see culinary schools in Indiana.

Culinary programs in and near Chicago

School Campus Programs (credential) 2026-27 cost ACF status
Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute, Kennedy-King College (City Colleges of Chicago) Englewood, South Side Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Arts (certificates and AAS); Hospitality Management; Bar Management AAS $163 a credit for Chicago residents; about $9,780 for a 60-credit AAS Not accredited
Kendall College at National Louis University (private) Downtown Culinary Arts AAS; Baking and Pastry AAS (90 quarter hours each); certificates; culinary management BA $534 a quarter hour; about $45,892–$48,060 for the AAS Culinary and baking AAS accredited through June 2027
College of DuPage Glen Ellyn Culinary Arts AAS and certificate; Baking and Pastry Arts AAS and certificate About $10,240 (in-district) or $23,552 (out-of-district) for the 64-credit AAS Culinary and baking accredited through June 2028
Joliet Junior College Joliet (City Center Campus) Culinary Arts Management AAS $153 a credit in-district; about $9,792 for 64 credits Accredited through December 2029
Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills Culinary Arts Management AAS and certificate; Baking and Pastry AAS and certificate About $10,752 (in-district) for 64 credits; $371 a credit out-of-district ACF-accredited; confirm the end date with the college
Triton College River Grove Culinary Arts AAS; Baking and Pastry AAS; certificates About $11,214 (in-district) or $26,271 (out-of-district) for the 63-credit AAS Not accredited
Harper College Palatine Culinary Arts Certificate (32 credits); Bread and Pastry Arts Certificate (26 credits) About $5,368 and $4,361.50 in-district Not accredited
Elgin Community College Elgin Culinary Arts and Pastry Arts degrees; nine certificates $148 a credit in-district; $297 out-of-district Not accredited
Ivy Tech Community College, Lake County at East Chicago (Indiana) East Chicago, IN Culinary Arts AAS (60 credits); culinary, baking and catering certificates About $10,308.44 in-state; about $19,870.04 for Illinois residents Accredited from July 2026

Culinary schools in the city

Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute at Kennedy-King College

Washburne is the City Colleges of Chicago’s culinary school, founded in 1936. It offers Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Arts at three levels (a basic certificate, an advanced certificate and an AAS), so you can stop after a short certificate and come back for the degree later. Students cook for Sikia, the school’s prix-fixe lunch restaurant, open Tuesday to Thursday by reservation. City residents pay $163 a credit; out-of-district students pay $429 and out-of-state students $538. It suits city residents who want the cheapest credit route.

Getting there: the campus is at 6301 S. Halsted St. (the Washburne page also gives 740 W. 63rd St.). Take the CTA Green Line to Halsted, or buses #8, #59 or #63, which stop next to the college. Student parking is on 65th Street, west of Halsted.

Kendall College at National Louis University

Kendall is open and teaches in person at National Louis University’s downtown Chicago campus. Its Culinary Arts AAS and Baking and Pastry AAS are 90 quarter hours each, about two years, with the next start on January 18, 2027. Both are ACF-accredited through June 2027; NLU’s baking page says “Exemplary Since 2007”. Tuition is $534 a quarter hour, or $6,556 a term for 12 to 19 quarter hours, plus a $275 student fee each term. Our arithmetic puts the AAS at about $45,892 (seven flat-rate terms, plus $1,925 in fees) to $48,060 (90 quarter hours at the per-hour rate). The uniform and tool kit is about $870. It suits students who want a private, ACF-accredited downtown program and can pay four to five times a community-college price.

Suburban community colleges

Illinois community colleges charge three rates: in-district, out-of-district and out-of-state. A City of Chicago resident is in-district only at City Colleges. At College of DuPage, Joliet, Moraine Valley, Triton, Harper and Elgin, a Chicago resident pays the out-of-district rate unless they live in that college’s district, so the in-district prices below apply only to district residents.

College of DuPage (Glen Ellyn)

COD offers 64-credit AAS degrees in both Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Arts, plus shorter certificates and Culinology. Students train in the 60,000-square-foot Culinary and Hospitality Center, which runs the Waterleaf and Wheat Café restaurants. Both degrees are ACF-accredited through June 2028, the only suburban college accredited for culinary and baking. From fall 2026 DuPage County residents pay $160 a credit ($141 tuition plus $19 fees), about $10,240 for the degree; out-of-district students pay $368 a credit, about $23,552.

Joliet Junior College and Moraine Valley (southwest)

Joliet Junior College’s Culinary Arts Management AAS is ACF-accredited through December 2029. Tuition and fees are $153 a credit in-district from fall 2026, about $9,792 for 64 credits; we did not find the out-of-district rate. Moraine Valley in Palos Hills offers Culinary Arts Management and Baking and Pastry, each as an AAS or certificate, and says graduates may apply for the ACF’s Certified Culinarian credential right after graduating. Its culinary degree is ACF-accredited; confirm the end date with the college, because the ACF list prints it incorrectly. Fall 2026 rates, including fees, are $168 a credit in-district (about $10,752 for 64 credits) and $371 out-of-district.

Triton, Harper and Elgin (west and northwest)

Triton College in River Grove has a 63-credit Culinary Arts AAS and a Baking and Pastry AAS: $158 a credit in-district plus $20 in fees, about $11,214 for the degree, or about $26,271 out-of-district. Harper College in Palatine offers certificates only, about $5,368 for culinary and $4,361.50 for bread and pastry in-district ($145.75 a credit plus a $22 fee); out-of-district is $410.00 a credit. Elgin Community College offers Culinary Arts and Pastry Arts degrees and nine certificates at $148 a credit in-district. None of the three is ACF-accredited.

Ivy Tech Lake County at East Chicago, Indiana

Ivy Tech’s campus at 410 E. Columbus Drive in East Chicago offers a 60-credit Culinary Arts AAS and short culinary, baking and catering certificates, and its culinary degree is ACF-accredited from July 2026. Indiana residents pay $2,577.11 a full-time semester, about $10,308.44 for the AAS. Illinois residents pay the out-of-state rate, $4,967.51 a semester, about $19,870.04: cheaper than out-of-district at COD or Triton, but about twice Washburne. It mainly suits northwest Indiana residents. The Baking and Pastry AAS is taught at Ivy Tech Michigan City, not here.

What culinary school costs in Chicago

Where you live matters more than which school you pick. A Chicago resident pays about $9,780 for a Washburne AAS but out-of-district rates of $297 (Elgin) to $410 (Harper) a credit at suburban colleges. District residents pay about $9,792 to $11,214 for a suburban AAS. Budget extra for knives, uniforms and books.

Rent is the bigger number. HUD’s FY2026 Fair Market Rent (October 2025 to September 2026) for the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville metro is $1,480 a month for a studio and $1,581 for a one-bedroom. That one-bedroom would take 49% of a restaurant cook’s median monthly pay in the metro (our arithmetic), so most students who live alone will need a roommate, family housing or a job that pays above the median. For how these costs compare nationally, see our guide to culinary school costs.

Free and low-cost culinary training in Chicago

Inspiration Kitchens

Inspiration Kitchens, at 3504 W. Lake St. in East Garfield Park, runs a free 12-week Food Service Training and Employment Program for low-income adults 18 and older who want full-time food service work. It meets four days a week, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and includes a four-week paid training period, then an optional four-week paid transitional job. Students get kitchen shoes, a uniform, transportation help and the ServSafe Illinois Food Handler certificate. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis after a Zoom information session.

UNITE HERE Chicago Hospitality Institute

The union’s hospitality institute, based at McCormick Place’s Lakeside Center, runs a Chef de Partie Culinary Apprenticeship: eight weeks of on-site classroom and kitchen-lab training and interview preparation, followed by paid on-the-job training. There is no out-of-pocket cost; uniforms, shoe covers, textbooks and transportation benefits are covered. A 2024 graduate profiled by ABC7 earned his Culinary Journeyworker certification and cooks at the Fairmont. Watch Illinois workNet for information sessions.

Culinary jobs and pay in Chicago

The metro employs 41,690 restaurant cooks and 6,840 chefs and head cooks. Hotel and convention kitchens hire through the UNITE HERE apprenticeship above, which places graduates with Local 1 hotels and food service venues.

Job Jobs in the metro area Median pay U.S. median
Restaurant cooks 41,690 $38,930 $37,390
Bakers 9,920 $37,230 $37,160
Chefs and head cooks 6,840 $60,770 $62,470
Food service managers 8,530 $65,620 $69,390

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metropolitan area.

Closed schools you may still see listed

  • Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago (formerly the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, on West Chestnut): took its last new students in January 2016 and closed in September 2017.
  • The Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago and Schaumburg: stopped enrolling in July 2018 and closed at the end of 2018. The institute had offered a culinary arts associate degree and a culinary management bachelor’s.
  • Kendall College is not closed. It now operates as Kendall College at National Louis University.

Chicago culinary school FAQs

How much is culinary school in Chicago?

For a city resident, Washburne at Kennedy-King costs $163 a credit, about $9,780 for a 60-credit AAS (our arithmetic). Suburban colleges cost about $9,792 to $11,214 for district residents but about $23,552 to $26,271 for Chicago residents paying out-of-district. Kendall’s AAS costs about $45,892 to $48,060.

Which culinary schools in Chicago are ACF-accredited?

Kendall College at NLU (culinary and baking, through June 2027), College of DuPage (through June 2028), Joliet Junior College (through December 2029), Moraine Valley and Ivy Tech Lake County (from July 2026). Washburne, Triton, Harper and Elgin are not on the ACF list.

Is there a free culinary program in Chicago?

Yes, for eligible adults. Inspiration Kitchens’ 12-week program is free for low-income adults 18 and older, and the UNITE HERE Chicago Hospitality Institute’s Chef de Partie apprenticeship has no out-of-pocket cost.

Is Le Cordon Bleu Chicago still open?

No. It took its last new students in January 2016 and closed in September 2017.

Is Kendall College still open?

Yes. It runs culinary and baking degrees as Kendall College at National Louis University, with in-person classes downtown.

How do I get to Washburne by CTA?

Take the Green Line to Halsted or the #8, #59 or #63 bus.

Nearby and online options

Our Illinois page covers every culinary program in the state, and the Indiana page covers Ivy Tech’s other campuses and Indianapolis. For an online culinary degree from Chicago, see online culinary programs. For pastry, compare baking and pastry programs in Illinois, and for prices nationwide read what culinary school costs. Our city guides cover other major US cities.

Sources

What changed on this page

  • November 2026: new city guide.