Home / Culinary Programs / California
Culinary Programs in California
Colleges and schools: 55
Programs
62
all sources
Median pay
$64,500
chefs and head cooks, BLS May 2025; U.S. $62,470
Middle program cost
$5,350
7 programs report one, DOL WIOA list and IPEDS
On the WIOA list
50
Culinary programs, U.S. DOL file
Culinary Programs in California: the figures
- Programs we list
- 62 in California: 55 at colleges and schools, 7 training providers known only from the WIOA list.
- Colleges and schools
- 52 public and 3 private; 1,743 culinary completions in 2023-24 at the 50 that reported any (IPEDS).
- Listed program cost
- Middle $5,350 in California, from $1,925 to $48,027, across 7 programs that report one (DOL WIOA list and IPEDS).
- Median pay
- $64,500 a year for chefs and head cooks in California, against $62,470 for the U.S. (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- WIOA training funds
- WIOA in California: 4,171 programs from 741 providers on the state's list in the U.S. DOL file, 50 of them culinary.
- WIOA results
- 50 culinary programs on California's list; middle values: 89.5% of students who exited completed (24 programs report it); 81.6% were employed in the second quarter after exit (18); $8,830 median earnings in that quarter (13) (U.S. DOL file).
- Metro areas
- 5 California metro areas have a page; the largest list, Los Angeles, has 20 programs.
By metro area
- Los Angeles area20 programs · median pay $69,990
- Riverside area6 programs · median pay $64,480
- Sacramento area5 programs · median pay $57,870
- San Francisco area5 programs · median pay $68,970
- San Diego area3 programs · median pay $60,600
Every culinary program in California
| Program | Where | Type | Program cost | Length | Completions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05244 - Culinary Apprenticeship Program for Under served PopWIOA list | Sacramento | WIOA list only | Not reported | Not reported | |
| Allan Hancock College | Santa Maria | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 22 |
| American River College | Sacramento | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 14 |
| Bakersfield College | Bakersfield | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 18 |
| Cabrillo CollegeWIOA list | Aptos | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 45 |
| Cerritos CollegeWIOA list | Norwalk | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 51 |
| CET-San Jose | San Jose | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 12 |
| Chaffey College | Rancho Cucamonga | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 22 |
| City College of San FranciscoWIOA list | San Francisco | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 19 |
| College of the Canyons | Santa Clarita | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 41 |
| College of the Desert | Palm Desert | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 34 |
| College of the Sequoias | Visalia | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 37 |
| Columbia College | Sonora | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 32 |
| Contra Costa CollegeWIOA list | San Pablo | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 7 |
| Copper Mountain Community College | Joshua Tree | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 0 |
| Cosumnes River College | Sacramento | Associate | Not reported | Not reported | 0 |
| Cuesta CollegeWIOA list | San Luis Obispo | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 45 |
| Cypress College | Cypress | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 39 |
| Diablo Valley CollegeWIOA list | Pleasant Hill | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 26 |
| Feather River Community College District | Quincy | Associate | Not reported | Not reported | 0 |
| Fresno City CollegeWIOA list | Fresno | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 6 |
| Glendale Community College | Glendale | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 0 |
| Grossmont College | El Cajon | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 71 |
| Hacienda La Puente Adult EducationWIOA list | La Puente | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 21 |
| Hospitality Training Academy (HTA) JATCWIOA list | Los Angeles | WIOA list only | $5,350 | Not reported | |
| Institute of Culinary Education | Pasadena | Certificate | $48,027 | 15 months | 229 |
| Lake Tahoe Community College | South Lake Tahoe | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 13 |
| Laney CollegeWIOA list | Oakland | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 35 |
| Lemoore CollegeWIOA list | Lemoore | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 13 |
| Long Beach City College | Long Beach | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 51 |
| Los Angeles Harbor College | Wilmington | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 66 |
| Los Angeles Mission College | Sylmar | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 128 |
| Los Angeles Trade Technical CollegeWIOA list | Los Angeles | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 137 |
| Maxine Waters Employment Prep Center - LAUSDWIOA list | Los Angeles | WIOA list only | $1,960 | Not reported | |
| Mendocino College | Ukiah | Associate | Not reported | Not reported | 2 |
| Merced College | Merced | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 3 |
| Merced County Office of EducationWIOA list | Merced | WIOA list only | Not reported | Not reported | |
| Mission College | Santa Clara | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 5 |
| Modesto Junior College | Modesto | Associate | Not reported | Not reported | 0 |
| Monterey Peninsula College | Monterey | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 4 |
| Mt San Antonio College | Walnut | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 26 |
| Mt San Jacinto Community College District | San Jacinto | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 9 |
| Napa Valley CollegeWIOA list | Napa | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 5 |
| National Holistic Institute | Emeryville | Certificate | $17,750 | 12 months | 26 |
| Orange Coast College | Costa Mesa | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 83 |
| Oxnard College | Oxnard | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 15 |
| Pasadena City College | Pasadena | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 9 |
| Richard N. Slawson Occupational Center - LAUSDWIOA list | Los Angeles | WIOA list only | $1,925 | Not reported | |
| Riverside City College | Riverside | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 87 |
| Saddleback CollegeWIOA list | Mission Viejo | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 31 |
| San Bernardino Valley College | San Bernardino | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 16 |
| San Diego Mesa College | San Diego | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 14 |
| San Joaquin Delta College | Stockton | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 21 |
| Santa Ana College | Santa Ana | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 21 |
| Santa Barbara City College | Santa Barbara | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 12 |
| Santa Rosa Junior College | Santa Rosa | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 52 |
| Shasta College | Redding | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 12 |
| Southwestern College | Chula Vista | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 35 |
| Sushi Chef InstituteWIOA list | Torrance | WIOA list only | $4,900 | Not reported | |
| United Youth of America, IncWIOA list | Los Angeles | WIOA list only | $10,050 | Not reported | |
| Woodland Community CollegeWIOA list | Woodland | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 18 |
| Yuba College | Marysville | Certificate | Not reported | Not reported | 3 |
- College programs, cost and completions: IPEDS complete data files, 2024-25 collection, read October 8, 2026.
- WIOA list: DOL TrainingProviderResults.gov program file (ETA-9171), read October 8, 2026.
- Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025, California, read October 8, 2026.
The same in every state: ways to pay for culinary training