Dorothy Cann Hamilton (1949-2016) was a true visionary and respected leader in the education and culinary worlds. Founder of The French Culinary Institute in 1984, her extraordinary dedication and innovative thinking grew the school into what is now the International Culinary Center, a world-renowned destination for culinary, pastry and wine education.
A graduate of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Hamilton served in the Peace Corps in Thailand before moving on to her stellar career. Always on an endless quest to continue learning, she supplemented her education with an M.B.A from The Stern School at NYU and sharpened her entrepreneurial instincts as a graduate of Harvard Business School’s OPM program.
Hamilton’s creativity spanned industries. Author of the career guide Love What You Do, she was also creator, host and author of Chef’s Story—a radio program, TV series and book—she served as Chairman of the James Beard Foundation and was the President of the Friends of the USA Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015. Her many remarkable achievements include receiving France’s Legion of Honor in 2015—their highest civilian award—receiving the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and being inducted into Babson College’s “Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs”.
Read more about the history of ICC.
This blog post was originally published by the International Culinary Center (ICC), founded as The French Culinary Institute (FCI). In 2020, ICE and ICC came together on one strong and dynamic national platform at ICE's campuses in New York City and Los Angeles. Explore your culinary education where the legacy lives on.
