Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland

The Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland, formerly the Western Culinary Institute (WCI), was a culinary school located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The school was owned by the Career Education Corporation and it was also a partner with the French culinary institute Le Cordon Bleu.[1] As of 2006, the school had an enrollment of 805 students.[2] The school became affiliated with Le Cordon Bleu in 1999 and changed its name from the Western Culinary Institute in January 2010.[3]

Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts
in Portland
Former names
Western Culinary Institute
Horst Mager Culinary Institute
TypeFor-profit college
Established1983
PresidentJon Alberts
Academic staff
135
Undergraduates950
Location
Portland
,
Oregon
,
United States

45.52021°N 122.68141°W / 45.52021; -122.68141
CampusUrban
NicknameWCI
Websitewww.chefs.edu/portland/

This and all other Cordon Bleu colleges in the United States closed in 2017.

History

Western Culinary Institute was established in 1983, by two local businessmen, Horst Mager and Donald Waldbauer, as the Horst Mager Culinary Institute.[3][4] In 1986, it adopted the name, Western Culinary Institute.[4] The school was purchased by the Career Education Corporation in 1996. In 1999, WCI partnered with Le Cordon Bleu so that their graduating students could get a Le Cordon Bleu dîplome along with a specialized associate degree in culinary arts, hospitality and restaurant management, or pâtisserie and baking.[4] In 2000, WCI was the first school to offer the Le Cordon Bleu Restaurant Management Diploma,[5] although as of 2008, it does not have a restaurant management program.[6] A lawsuit started in March 2008 against the school became a class action lawsuit in December 2009.[7][8] The lawsuit claims Western Culinary and its parent company committed fraud with its recruitment practices.[7][8]

Campus
Entrance to the school

The school was located in downtown Portland, in the historic Galleria Building. The building, formerly the Olds, Wortman & King department store, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The campus included classrooms, labs, kitchens, a computer lab, and a library/resource center.[9] A student-staffed fine dining restaurant was also offered until early 2012.[10]

Academics and associations

The curriculum offered two programs, in which students can earn a diploma or an Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) in either culinary arts or pâtisserie and baking.[6] Students also earned a Le Cordon Blue diplôme (Diplôme de Cuisine or Diplôme de Pâtisserie).[1][6] The diploma programs lasted 30 to 36 weeks, and the AOS program lasted 60 weeks.[11][12]

Western Culinary Institute was a title sponsor of the ProStart Knowledge Bowl in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The ProStart State High School Culinary Championships are hosted by the Oregon Restaurant Education Foundation and include different culinary and hospitality-focused events. Over 200 students from 34 Oregon high schools competed in the 2008 contest.[13]

The institute was an affiliate with many culinary and educational associations and organizations, including the American Culinary Federation.[14]

Accreditation

Western Culinary Institute was accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC).[15]

Two women filed a class-action lawsuit against Western Culinary Institute and its corporate parent in March 2008, alleging the private trade school misleads students with its sales pitches and leaves them ill-prepared to pay off their large student loans. According to the complaint, the school failed to warn students that their tuition would exceed their ability, upon graduation, to pay off their federal loans. It alleges the school also misrepresented its job-placement rate and failed to disclose that students would "not obtain material benefit" from the course of study.[16]

References
  1. "Le Cordon Blue". Western Culinary Institute. Archived from the original on 2004-05-30. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  2. "Board of Education Request for Committee and Board Action" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Education. April 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-10-29. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  3. Butler, Grant (January 11, 2010). "Portland cooking school changes name to Le Cordon Bleu". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  4. "Our History & Reputation". Western Culinary Institute. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  5. Bartels, Eric (August 10, 2004). "Culinary Institute's on a roll". Portland Tribune. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  6. "Programs". Western Culinary Institute. Archived from the original on 2008-10-11. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  7. DiMesio, Robbie (2009-03-05). "2 Portlanders file class-action suit against Western Culinary Institute". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
  8. Hunsberger, Brent (2009-12-07). "Suit against Portland culinary school gains class-action status". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
  9. "Facilities". Western Culinary Institute. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  10. Brad Schmidt. "Target closes in on bringing urban-style store to Portland's Galleria". The Oregonian. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  11. "Patisserie & Baking Program - Western Culinary Institute - Course Outline". Western Culinary Institute. Archived from the original on 2012-12-12. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  12. "Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Program Course Outline". Western Culinary Institute. Archived from the original on 2012-12-12. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  13. "Students Feel the Heat at ProStart Competition". Oregon Restaurant Education Foundation. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  14. "Affiliations & Memberships". Western Culinary Institute. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  15. "Directory Search Results". Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  16. Circuit Court of the State of Oregon. "Shannon Gozzi and Megan Koehnen vs. Western Culinary Institute, LTD" (PDF). Paul Sugerman, PC. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
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