Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland was established in 2006 and forms part of the
Swiss Education Group. It developed from the same institution originally founded in 1991 as a hospitality management school in
Lucerne. The school’s lineage dates back to 1991, when a hospitality management college known as Domino Carlton Tivoli International Hotel Management Career Centre first welcomed students to its campus in Lucerne, located in the Carlton-Tivoli Hotel overlooking
Lake Lucerne. During its early years, the institution developed academic partnerships with universities including
Johnson & Wales University and
Lynn University, and introduced its first specialized culinary courses. In 1996, the institution was restructured and became DCT International Hotel & Business Management School following a change in ownership. Under this new structure, DCT expanded its academic portfolio to include programmes in European Gourmet Cuisine, Pastry, and Chocolate, alongside its existing hospitality management diplomas. It also established partnerships with
Florida International University and the
University of Massachusetts - Amherst.. Its European Culinary Management programme became the first outside the United States to receive full accreditation from the
American Culinary Federation. . In 2003, DCT relocated from
Lucerne to
Vitznau, where it continued to expand its academic offerings, including the introduction of an MBA in Hospitality Management and a Master Gourmet Culinary Arts programme. During this period, its culinary programme was recognized by the American Culinary Federation as an “Exemplary Program,” becoming the only such designation outside North America at the time. In 2011, Swiss Education Group acquired DCT University Center. The following year, the institution was renamed Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland, marking the formal establishment of the current academy and its repositioning as a specialized culinary school. Operations were expanded to
Le Bouveret, where the school shared a campus with
César Ritz Colleges Switzerland.. In 2012, the Lucerne campus was relocated within the city centre, then closed in 2022. Academic programmes were subsequently consolidated across the academy’s two campuses in Le Bouveret and Brig, in the canton of
Valais. In 2025, César Ritz Colleges Switzerland consolidated its operations in Brig, and Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland assumed full use of the Le Bouveret campus. ==See also==