When people get good educations, the people around them usually benefit too. Sometimes you can feel it, but now Austin can taste it, with the local Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts taking a top national ranking. The Austin campus was No. 2 on education review platform Niche's 2025 "Best Colleges for Culinary Arts in America" list, which included 131 schools in total.

Things look doubly good for the Escoffier School, which also snagged the No. 1 spot through its campus in Boulder, Colorado. The campuses are quite similar, but Boulder has vastly more full-time students: 8,894 compared to Austin's 437.

Houston's Culinary Institute LeNotre was hot on the Austin campus' heels, snagging the No. 3 spot. The only other Texas college in the top 20 was the Texas State Technical College in Waco, which ranked No. 14 for its culinary program.

Students at the Escoffier School in Austin can choose from four main programs: two associate of applied science degrees in culinary arts and pastry arts, and two diplomas in the same two fields. There is also a Farm to Table Experience, which focuses on quality ingredients and works alongside the school's Agricultural Learning Center, which lets students grow their own food to use in the classroom. Appropriately for Texas, that includes dairy and livestock training as well as produce and other artisan items.

Niche's in-depth ratings are coveted in more general arenas, like public universities, where the University of Texas scored in the top 10 for 2025. The more niche disciplines (ironic, yes) are a bit broader in their grading, but what's important is how they stack up relative to each other.

Austin's Escoffier School received the highest ranking in diversity, student life, and safety: all an A. In this case, diversity refers not just to racial diversity, but also students from other countries, out of state, from different economic backgrounds, and more. The student life category encompasses basically any aspect of attending the school, including parties and the surrounding area.

The academics and location categories eked out a B-minus and a B-plus, respectively, which isn't bad looking at the other schools on the list.

Unfortunately, the school did struggle on value (C-plus) and professors (C-minus). This campus is significantly more expensive than the one in Boulder. Regarding the professors, it's not necessarily that they're doing a poor job — note again that academics ranked higher — although student surveys are the highest weighted factor in this grade. They also have to contend with salaries, the student-to-faculty ratio, and awards received by full-time faculty, among other factors.

Even if Austinites have never even thought about enrolling in culinary school, they may have noticed the Escoffier School if they visit the popular craft market at Blue Genie Art Bazaar or the Brewtorium Brewery & Kitchen. Unlike the massive Culinary Institute of America (whose stately Hyde Park, New York campus made No. 10 on the list) this small instructional kitchen blends in with its surroundings.

Those locals who have wanted a taste of the Escoffier School's teachings have been able to stop by for some casual classes, although a current lack of listings on the Eventbrite page suggests these classes are on hiatus.

The top 10 Best Colleges for Culinary Arts in America, according to Niche, are:

• No. 1: Escoffier School of Culinary Arts — Boulder
• No. 2: Escoffier School of Culinary Arts — Austin
• No. 3: Culinary Institute Lenotre (Houston)
• No. 4: Walnut Hill College (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
• No. 5: Johnson & Wales University — Charlotte
• No. 6: White Mountains Community College (Berlin, New Hampshire)
• No. 7: Johnson & Wales University — Providence
• No. 8: Helms College (Augusta, Georgia)
• No. 9: Monroe College — Bronx, New Rochelle
• No. 10: Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park, New York)

The full list of 131 culinary programs is ranked at niche.com. More information on the Escoffier School is available at escoffier.edu.