About Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland

Founded in 1983 in beautiful Portland, Oregon, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland (formerly Western Culinary Institute) offers training in culinary arts and pâtisserie and baking, attracting students from across the United States and abroad.

Our culinary school programs in Portland, Oregon are designed to help students pursue their passions and prepare them for professional opportunities in the international culinary, pâtisserie and baking, and hospitality industries.

Each culinary school student receives a comprehensive, challenging education in classic culinary techniques combined with modern innovations and the latest in global cuisine. They learn through demonstration by chef instructors followed by hands-on, practical application. Our cooking school curriculum includes important theoretical concepts and industry-relevant general education courses.

Contact us today to learn more about a culinary education at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland or apply online!

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Our Portland Culinary School Campus
Our main campus—50,000 square feet located in the heart of downtown Portland, in the historic Galleria Building—houses our lecture classrooms, and nine kitchens.

It's also home to our public, student-staffed, fine-dining restaurant, Bleu, and our coffee and pastry shop, Café Bleu. At Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland, students are able to put their culinary training into practice, and customers are delighted with the professionalism that students display.

Other benefits and amenities of our campus include:

• A library/resource center with periodicals, books, audio-visual resources, and other materials related to the cooking, baking, and hospitality industries.
• The library/resource center also has 24 computer stations where students can access the Internet and CECybrary, our online service that links students to numerous electronic resources including journals, newspapers, and e-books. The center and two additional computer labs are available to all students.
• A secure Web-site portal that provides access to class schedules, grades, account balances and activity, campus events, school contact information, and more. Upon enrollment, students are issued a student number that they can use to access the portal site, along with instructions on how to register and use the portal.
• Kitchens are equipped with stoves, ovens, and food-preparation equipment found in the industry. A wide range of small wares enables students to practice essential culinary skills and techniques.

Our History
As America's taste for fine cuisine grew in the 1980s, so too did the demand for professionally trained chefs.

In 1983, two businessmen in the Portland, Oregon, area—Horst Mager (famous for his Rheinlander restaurants and yearly Oktoberfest celebration) and Donald Waldbauer—teamed up to establish the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland.

Originally called the Horst Mager Culinary Institute, the school quickly gained a reputation for its culinary arts program, and its quality, hands-on curriculum attracted students from throughout the United States and the world.

In 1986, the school adopted the name Western Culinary Institute to better reflect its geographic location in Oregon and its reputation as a nationally recognized culinary institute.

Ten years later, the school became part of a nationwide network of career schools known for its quality curricula and ability to assist graduating students with career opportunities within their chosen fields.

And in 1999, more prestige came with another affiliation: Western Culinary Institute formed a partnership with the famous Le Cordon Bleu. As a result, all students today can graduate with a coveted Le Cordon Bleu Diplôme in addition to associate of occupational studies degrees or diploma.

About Le Cordon Bleu – Culinary Arts & Cooking School
Few institutions possess the prestige of Le Cordon Bleu. Its internationally renowned culinary arts school curriculum has become synonymous with expertise, innovation, tradition, and refinement-qualities meticulously nurtured by the school.

Le Cordon Bleu was founded as a cooking school in Paris in 1895. Its name traces to a high honor bestowed upon members of the Order of the Holy Spirit by King Henry III in the 1500s.

The awarded medallion, called the Cross of the Holy Spirit, was suspended from a blue ribbon, or Le Cordon Bleu.

At the end of the 19th century, a collection of recipes called "La Cuisinière Cordon Bleu" was published to much acclaim. The book's success prompted its publisher to open a cooking school with the Cordon Bleu designation.

The cooking school's reputation spread fast, both in France and internationally. Since then, students throughout the world have trained in the culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu.

Le Cordon Bleu's arrival in the United States ushered in a new educational era in culinary arts that combines classical European techniques with modern American technology and training.

As a testament to their accomplishment, graduates receive a specialized associate degree or diploma and the coveted Le Cordon Bleu Diplôme.