Top Culinary School in Portland, Oregon Area
If you ever thought about going to cooking school in the Portland Oregon area, you'll want to learn more about the brand new Oregon Culinary Institute.
What You Need to Know
Finding the right cooking school that meet your needs is the first step to an incredible new career in the field of Culinary Arts. Yes, a good culinary school is lot's of work and once you graduate the hard work continues. However, becoming a professional chef has its rewards too. Right now there is a huge demand for well trained cooks as America has a new found attraction to "celebrity" chefs.
Below is some basic information about the Oregon Culinary Institute and its programs. It should help you decide if this is a school to consider. If it does make your list of possible choices, I suggest you click on the "Request Free School Info" button, fill out the short questionnaire and a representative from the school will contact you to answer all your questions in detail, fill you in on costs and financial aid and explain the next steps to apply.
Oregon Culinary Institute
1701 SW Jefferson Street
Portland, OR 97201
Brand new to Portland, the Oregon Culinary Institute is a new cooking school offering training in the fast growing restaurant industry. As part of the Pioneer Pacific College network that has been offering continuing education and degrees since 1981, Oregon Culinary Institute is well equipped to train you for a new career in culinary arts.
They offer a fully accredited 40 week Culinary Arts diploma program that is focused and teaches you what you will need to know to enter into the culinary world. The skills taught by their chef instructors will be the same as the skills required by restaurant owners and executive chefs. The schools goal is to make you immediately employable after you graduate. In fact, they will do what they can to help you find a job at that time.
As part of your training, you will participate in a hands on externship where you will work in a professional establishment off campus and be evaluated by the restaurant's chef as well as the schools instructions. Successful completion of the externship is required to graduate.
Facilities
The school is located in a newly renovated 10,000 square food space with all the latest industry standard equipment including kitchen labs, computer labs, classrooms and a new open to the public fine dining restaurant.
Why Choose Oregon Culinary Institute?
- Programs that work with your schedule
- New facility and equipment
- Highly trained staff
- Smaller class sizes
- Great location
- Financial aid guidance

Going to School in Portland
Known as "The City of Roses", Portland is the largest city in the state of Oregon and straddles the Willamette river just south of its confluence with the Columbia River. With an incredible dining reputation, beautiful parks and plenty of cultural establishments, Portland is an ideal place to go to school and live after graduation.
Its Forest Park is the largest wilderness park in city limits in the US with over 5,000 acres of open space. Portland also claims the worlds smallest part, a two foot diameter circle at Mills End Park.
Home to the Portland Trailblazers, there are a host of minor league teams in baseball, hockey, soccer and lacrosse. If you like to ski, there is nearby Mount Hood.
Other Portland Culinary Schools of Interest
What Do You Need To Know to Get Into Culinary School?
As the Reluctant Gourmet, I have never been to cooking school, but I keep telling myself it's never too late. The best way for you to learn more about becoming a chef is to visit my new Culinary School Resource Center. Here you will find articles, books, school resources and many other useful resources.
Also, try reading as much as you can about going to cooking school and what it is like to be a professional chef. One book I highly recommend to anyone thinking about culinary school is, The Making of A Chef, by Michael Ruhlman. It will really help you understand what you may be getting yourself into. For a complete list of Books For Cooks.








