Culinary Arts

Dreaming of a career in the kitchen? The Cuisine et gastronomie program will teach you all the fundamentals of professional cooking while giving you plenty of hands-on experience. Everything you need to start your career on the right foot! 

Overview

All experienced cooks will tell you: to be able to perform in the kitchen, you must start by knowing your basics. The right techniques, the right products, and above all, the right philosophy!

Program key elements

• Training course focussed on the knowledge of raw materials and techniques 
• 3-month internship placement
• Action learning in the ITHQ’s restaurants
• Valorization of local and regional products 
• Enrichment course in culinary creativity
• Experienced and passionate instructors

Start your culinary career on solid ground!

What you will learn
Techniques, rigour, teamwork

• Classic recipes from French and Québec gastronomy
• Valorization of Québec products
• Sensorial qualities of the dishes 
• Basic cuts and cooking techniques
• Kitchen organization and storage of goods
• Mise en place and presentation of dishes
• Teamwork within the brigade
• Varied menu service
• Hygiene and food safety
• Occupational health and safety

Program structure and courses

Duration and schedule

• Program starting in the fall and winter
• Spread over 17 months on a full-time basis (3 course sessions, 1 summer internship and 1 end-of-program internship)
• Includes a total of 1 890 hours, including 1 390 hours of coursework and 500 hours of compulsory internships
• Daytime courses and practical applications in the evening

Hands-on experience

Compulsory internships:

• 3-month (390 h) paid or rewarded summer internship in Québec, Canada or abroad (certain conditions apply)
• 3 weeks (110 h) unpaid end-of-program internship in the Montréal area 

Practical applications:

• Production of dishes for the ITHQ restaurants customers
• Participation in various gastronomic activities

Diploma

• Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS) in Cuisine et gastronomie – Programme Signature from the Ministère de l’Éducation
• ITHQ Signature certificate in Cuisine et gastronomie 
• MAPAQ certificate in Hygiene and food safety for food handlers 

Admission

Admission application periods

Admission requirements

To be eligible for this program, you must: 

• Have a Secondary School Diploma (SSD) or equivalent education, OR
• Be at least 16 years of age and have successfully completed your Secondary 4 French (or English, if you studied in English), Second Language (English or French, as the case may be) and Mathematics courses, or equivalent education.
• Demonstrate proficiency in oral and written French.  

Selection criteria

The selection of applications also takes into account the following criteria:  

• Academic file 
• Related training 
• Relevant professional experience, supported by official employment certificates 

To maximize your chances of selection, we strongly encourage you to attach all supporting documents to your application. 

Required documents

Here is the list of documents you must include with your application depending on your status: 

Admission application procedure

• Applicants must ensure that they meet the program’s admission requirements before submitting their application.      
• Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted.       
• For your admission file to be considered complete, it must contain a copy of all the official documents required by the ITHQ in accordance with your status, as listed above.
• These documents must be legible and saved in PDF format. Documents in a language other than French or English must also be accompanied by a certified translation into French or English.            
• Some documents required by the ITHQ may not be requested automatically on the admission platform. It is therefore your responsibility to ensure that all the documents on the list in accordance with your status have been uploaded to your file before submitting your application.  

Costs and financial aid

Program fees

Use the program fee calculator to find out about the costs of this program.

Financial aid and scholarships

Looking for financial support for your study project? Find out about the different options available to you.  

Learn more

Future prospects

At the heart of a brigade

Working as a cook requires the mastery of culinary techniques as well as a developed sense of aesthetics and organization. This training will allow you to develop all the necessary skills to access the kitchens of the best restaurants, which are constantly looking for new talent.