text: has anyone here heard of the culinary institute of america if so what are your thoughts?   it's in hyde park, new york, along the hudson river. the best culinary school in the nation. some of the top new york city chefs went there. as well as throughout the country. unfortunately, the institute is not as good as it was back in the 1970s. then most of the instructors were french. and if you don't know, the french are the leading culinary chefs in the world. that's why if you go to a top restaurant in paris, expect to pay five hundred dollars for a dinner for two. one could stayed seated, however, as long as they like without being rushed out.