College of Food Innovation & Technology
JWU has taught people to cook professionally for decades. The College of Food Innovation & Technology (CFIT) takes that further — you’ll learn the kitchen, and you’ll learn the industry around it. Food science, nutrition, sustainability, running a business. Whatever you want to do with food, this is where you figure out how.
More Than the Kitchen
Over the last half century, the College of Food Innovation & Technology (CFIT) at Johnson & Wales University has established itself as one of the country’s most respected institutions for food and culinary education. CFIT alumni include celebrated food professionals in the industry who run award-winning restaurants, author books, create prolific food media, design new products for global supply chains, develop meal and nutrition strategies for professional athletes, manage hotels and resorts around the world, teach in K–12 and collegiate culinary programs and so much more.
Sharpen Your Career-Ready Skills
Some of your best work will happen with students from other colleges. You might design a menu with design students or build healthy versions of comfort food with occupational therapy doctorate students. Beyond that: internships, semester-long projects, study abroad. Culinary Nutrition and Applied Food Science students work with student-athletes and regional partners, developing heart-healthy recipes and lead cooking demos.
Kitchens Built for Service, Not Just Practice
Our kitchens, bakeshops and labs run the way working ones do — same equipment, same volume, same clock. In Providence, product development students formulate and test food in a lab built for exactly that. In Charlotte, baking and pastry students work behind windows facing Trade Street, in full view of anyone walking by. You’ll cook on the line, plate under time and learn what it takes to get it right when the orders don’t stop.
Cuisinart Center for Culinary Excellence at JWU Providence (Top)
Food Innovation Design Lab at JWU Providence (Middle)
Baking & Pastry Labs at JWU Charlotte (Bottom)
A Global Win
Imagine flying halfway around the world to participate in a global cooking competition. Chantelle Gonsalves ’23 had never been out of the United States when she headed to India for the Young Chef Olympiad, a culinary showdown featuring contestants from nearly 60 countries. Months of preparation paid off when she placed fifth.
Alumni You’ve Probably Heard Of
Emeril Lagasse ’78, ’90 Hon. trained in JWU’s kitchens before anyone knew his name. So did Tyler Florence ’94, ’04 Hon. and Lorena Garcia ’00. That’s the version of the story most people know.
Here’s the more recent version. Ben Sukle ’08 runs Oberlin in Providence, a 2026 James Beard Award finalist for Best Restaurant. Tristen Epps ’09 and Courtney Evans ’19 both landed on national television — Epps won season 22 of Top Chef, and Evans finished top three on Netflix’s Next Gen Chef with more Pins of Excellence than anyone else in the competition. They have plenty of company. More than 100 JWU culinary and baking graduates have appeared on national cooking competitions.
New names show up every season. What’s behind them doesn’t change.
“The most important thing is to find someone who supports you.”
Shi Mei ’10, owner of Boston’s Lenox Sophia
Rapid-fire Q&A with Sky Haneul Kim ’14, a 2025 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef, Northeast
Professors Who Worked in the Field
CFIT faculty have spent years as chefs, sommeliers, bakers, product developers and dietitians. They turn that experience into practical lessons about sustainability, food security and global food systems. And they’ll help you build the connections and professionalism to succeed.
