Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland

Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland

Type	Culinary school
Established	1996
Parent institution	Swiss Education Group
Students	220
Location	Le Bouveret and Brig , Switzerland
Campus	Le Bouveret, Brig
Website	cesarritzcolleges.edu

Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland is a culinary school located in Switzerland and a sister school of César Ritz Colleges Switzerland.

For the first 2 years of their studies, Bachelor's students are based at the Le Bouveret campus in French-speaking Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Geneva. In their final year, students transfer to the campus in Brig in German-speaking Switzerland.

Le Bouveret campus also houses the Mosimann Collection, an extensive collection of culinary memorabilia provided by Chef Anton Mosimann, OBE.

Academic Programmes

For Undergraduate students, a dual bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts is offered in partnership with University of Derby, U.K. Students can choose between 3 pathways allowing them to focus on Pastry & Chocolate, Vegetarian cuisine, or Culinary Arts more generally. The Bachelor's programme also includes 2 internships, allowing students to gain a year's professional work experience during their studies.

Postgraduate students can undertake a dual Master's degree in Culinary Management, also offered in partnership with University of Derby, U.K.

Shorter professional programmes are also available, including 15-month Swiss Grand Diploma and 2-year Swiss Higher Diploma programmes.

History

Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland was founded in 1991 and the following year, Domino Carlton Tivoli International Hotel Management Career Centre, as the school was then known, welcomed its first students to its campus in Lucerne's Carlton-Tivoli Hotel building overlooking the shores of Lake Lucerne. In this location, the school grew and developed in its first years, establishing initial relationships with both Johnson & Wales University and Lynn University.

In 1996, DCT International Hotel & Business Management School was formed when a group of the original Swiss founders formed a partnership to take over from its original investors. DCT also expanded its programme offerings, adding courses specialising in European Gourmet Cuisine and in European Pastry and Chocolate to the initial Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma programmes in Hotel & Tourism Management, as well as establishing partnerships with Florida International University and the University of Massachusetts - Amherst.

In 2003, DCT moved its campus out of the 100-year-old Carlton-Tivoli Hotel building and further along the shores of Lake Lucerne to the village of Vitznau. In this setting, DCT continued to develop and grow, including the addition of an MBA in Hospitality Management program and the new Master Gourmet Culinary Arts course, plus an expanded relationship with Lynn University and its Switzerland Program.

In 2011, Swiss Education Group acquired DCT University Center. DCT was renamed to Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland and expanded to a campus in Le Bouveret shared with sister school César Ritz Colleges Switzerland.

In 2012, the Vitznau campus moved to downtown Lucerne – back to the centre of the city where the school was founded more than two decades earlier. The César Ritz Colleges/Culinary Arts Academy campus was housed in modern facilities in Lucerne near Löwenplatz, bordering the city's historical and central shopping districts. This campus was closed in 2022 and its programmes consolidated onto the other CAAS campuses in Le Bouveret and Brig.

Partnerships & Accreditations

Industry Partnerships include:

Ritz Paris

Ritz Escoffier Culinary School

Mane

Alessi

Academic Partnerships include:

University of Derby (at Undergraduate level)

THE-ICE – The International Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education

EduQua – the Swiss national quality assurance body