California Culinary Academy - History

History

The school was established in 1977.

In mid-2007 the San Francisco Weekly---and soon there after a class action lawsuit (Amador v. California Culinary Academy)---claimed that the school preyed on students, misrepresenting the jobs and wages that were available to graduates, and the ability of graduates to service their student loan obligations after graduation. One alleged aspect of these misrepresentations was inflated job placement rates that counted, as successful post-culinary school placements, jobs that would have been available without going to culinary school at all. The complaint in its various iterations, with detailed allegations, is available from the San Francisco Superior Court, Case No. CGC-07-467710.

Later individual cases filed in 2011 and still ongoing as of September 2012(e.g., Abarca v. California Culinary Academy Case Number: CGC-11-511469) alleged the same problems and attached exhibits tending to provide substantial support for the allegation that CCA led students to believe they would be chefs after graduation when, the complaint alleges, graduates start in entry level jobs available to those without culinary degrees---making culinary school an economically irrational purchase. (see the 1st Amended Complaint filed June 6, 2011) San Francisco Weekly Burnt Chefs Former admissions representatives at CCA say they preyed on students’ dreams of becoming celebrity chefs and glossed over the painful economic realities of the industry, Eliza Strickland, June 6, 2007 "Lawsuit Accuses Career Education Corp. of Deceiving Students on Program's Quality", October 1, 2007 In December 2010 CCA owner Career Education Corporation ("CEC") agreed to settle the class action for $40 million plus about $1.7 million in forgiveness of amounts alleged owed to the school or CEC.Chea, Terence (4 September 2011). "AP: Culinary school grads claim they were ripped off". Google News (Associated Press). http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jG1gS-Umvj_wbvEolRg_sDelbU2A?docId=643db8f92c0e4e06a6b1566af3b14aa1. Retrieved 7 September 2011. That settlement received final approval from the San Francisco Superior Court on or about April 19, 2012, and that approval became the final judgement of the court in late June 2012.

In 2012, while the class settlement was pending, new questions of more recent placement rate wrongdoing were raised by the school's own accreditors. The school restaurant has been closed and 25% of the faculty has been laid off effective December 31, 2012 due to drastically declining enrollment.

Attorney Ray Gallo, the attorney who represented the plaintiffs, has offered the following opinion: “It is a ridiculous business decision to attend one of these schools.” “The whole thing doesn’t make economic sense. They know it and they don’t tell you.” (“Students Sue Schaumburg-Based Le Cordon Bleu,” Daily Herald, Sept. 6, 2011).