In August of 2000, my dad, Harold Meyberg, and my mom, Lili, founded the San Diego Culinary Institute with a handful of students and one very important idea: to build a better culinary school.

They wanted to build a school that taught technique, not recipes; that required each Chef Instructor to possess no less than 5 years as an Executive Chef in a fine dining environment — an astonishing minimum requirement for any culinary school. Finally, they insisted that their program offer extensive hands-on training, with limited class sizes, in well-equipped kitchen classrooms.

To these ends, they commit their selves to the following standards:
- They, as an organization, are committed to raising the standards of American culinary education. In doing so, they seek out the finest instructors in the business and commit their selves to continually review and elevate their standards of excellence and their skills as educators.

- They utilize the same top quality ingredients found in fine dining establishments all over the country so that their students understand the flavor profiles of exotic, high quality ingredients and how to use them to produce the finest dishes.

- They ensure that their kitchen classrooms are always well-stocked with the tools of the trade so that their graduates leave us with the confidence they need to perform for the most demanding employers.

- They have created a well-defined curriculum, designed to ensure that every student learns the skills necessary to excel in the workplace and that every student receives a consistent standard of quality in their education: Every graduate of SDCI reflects this high standard and meets the weight of expectations of their employers. They do this not only for the sake of their students, but also with an eye to their employers. All employers can expect every graduate of their program to possess a certain set of skills and to perform to a high standard of excellence.

- Overall, they continuously challenge their selves to improve, to elevate their standards of education, performance and service to their students and alumni. In doing so, the San Diego Culinary Institute continues its mission to offer the finest culinary and pastry arts education to aspiring culinarians and become the finest culinary school in the nation.

The total cost for Diplome Professionnel du Commis de Cuisine (Cuisine Diploma) program is $23,408.00. This amount includes uniforms, a knife kit, a baking kit, textbooks, fees and applicable taxes — virtually anything you will need to attend the program.

The total cost for their Diplome Professionnel du Commis de Patisserie/Boulangerie (Baking and Pastry Diploma) program is $20,420.00. This amount includes uniforms, student supply kit, textbooks, fees and applicable taxes — virtually anything you will need to attend the program.

The process for admission to San Diego Culinary Institute is stringent. They designed it to ensure that only the most committed students attend their programs — and thereby ensures that your classmates will be as committed to their studies as you are to yours.