Texas Culinary Academy (TCA) is a private school located in The Domain, a 235-acre (0.95 km2), multi-use park in Austin, Texas. The cooking school is affiliated with Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America.
Originally named Le Chef College of Hospitality Careers, Ronald F. Boston started the school as a chef-apprenticeship program in 1981. In 1999, the school was renamed Texas Culinary Academy. TCA was acquired by Career Education Corporation in August 2001.
TCA operates within a 52,000-square-foot (4,831.0 m2) facility that contains six 2,000-square-foot (185.8 m2) labs, classrooms, a student library, a computer lab, a restaurant, a cafe and a retail store. Also located within the facility is a 100-seat demonstration kitchen.
The school operates two on-campus restaurants. Ventana, a 100 seat restaurant which serves classical French cuisine, opened in late 2002, and The Bleu River Grille is a casual coffee and sandwich shop.
TCA offers an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts and certificates in Le Cordon Bleu Pâtisserie & Baking and Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts. All of the programs provide the theoretical foundation, culinary principles and technical skills based on traditions of Le Cordon Bleu.
TCA has since been renamed Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Austin.
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