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!
Admission
Mid-January to March 1
September 15 to November 1
Course start date
August
January
Duration
17 months full-time (1 890 h)
Format
In-person
Schedule
Full-time
Language of instruction
French
Compulsory internships
Yes
Diploma
Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS)
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
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 (ministerial program totalling 1 470 hours)
- Daytime courses and practical applications in the evening
- Schedule, dates and course order are subject to change.
- The ITHQ reserves the right to cancel a course or program if there are insufficient registrations to justify its offering. In such cases, program and registration fees will be refunded in full.
Hands-on experience
Compulsory internships:
- 3-month (390 h) paid or rewarded summer internship in Québec, Canada or abroad, (subject to obtaining the required visa)
- 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 from the Ministère de l’Éducation
- ITHQ Signature certificate in Cuisine et gastronomie
- MAPAQ certificate in Hygiene and food safety for food handlers
All students are required to follow certain basic rules regarding professional image.
If you are convinced that cooking is your passion, don’t hesitate and go for it! The vocational training offered by the ITHQ is certainly up to your ambitions and dreams. The ITHQ prepares us to enter the job market by covering all aspects of the restaurant services industry and helping us to excel. It propels us and allows us to see further than the training itself. And that is wonderful!
Admission
Admission application periods
Québec and Canadian applicants
Mid-January to March 1 (course start date in August)
September 15 to November 1 (course start date in January)
International applicants
November 2 to February 1 (course start date in August)
March 2 to June 1 (course start date in January)
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, validated by compliant work certificates.
To maximize your chances of selection, we strongly encourage you to attach all supporting documents to your application.
Selection interview
If your application file is selected, you will be invited to a selection interview, which will take place either in person or remotely, depending on your place of residence.
In-person interview dates for Canadian applicants:
- Winter 2026 programs: Wednesday, November 26 and Thursday, November 27, 2025
- Fall 2026 programs: Wednesday, April 15 and Thursday, April 16, 2026
Required documents
Here is the list of documents you must include with your application depending on your status:
- Official transcripts of university-level studies, including obtained diplomas and certificates, if applicable
- Work certificates attesting to work experience relevant to the program, if applicable
- Proof of participation in related training (attestation, diploma or transcript), if applicable
- Birth certificate
- Grades 10, 11 and 12 official transcripts
- Complete transcripts for any subsequent years of study, if applicable
- Diploma(s) obtained
- Proof of language proficiency in French (language test result or proof of exemption)
- Work certificates attesting to work experience relevant to the program, if applicable
- Proof of participation in related training (attestation, diploma or transcript), if applicable
- Birth certificate
- Canadian citizenship certificate OR permanent resident card
- Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ), if applicable
- Official transcripts for the last 3 years of high school (equivalent to grade 9, 10 and 11)
- Official transcripts for any subsequent years of study, if applicable
- Diploma(s) obtained
- Proof of language proficiency in French (language test result or proof of exemption)
- Work certificates attesting to work experience relevant to the program, if applicable
- Proof of participation in related training (attestation, diploma or transcript), if applicable
- Birth certificate
- Official transcripts for the last 3 years of high school (equivalent to grade 9, 10 and 11)
- Official transcripts for any subsequent years of study, if applicable
- Diploma(s) obtained
- Proof of language proficiency in French (language test result or proof of exemption)
- Work certificates attesting to work experience relevant to the program, if applicable
- Proof of participation in related training (attestation, diploma or transcript), if applicable
- Proof of financial capacity (for all international candidates with the exception of those with French citizenship)
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.
Important
The ITHQ will accept only one application per applicant for its vocational training programs. Although the SRAM admission platform allows you to submit up to 3 applications, only your 1st choice of program will be considered. Your 2nd or 3rd choice will automatically be rejected.
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.
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.
Careers to discover
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