Discover Nearly 50 Years of Culinary Love
CSCA is an iconic New England landmark, and for nearly 50 years has been highly acclaimed among the nation’s premier culinary schools. Here, students gain the essential knowledge and foundational skills a great culinary education demands – classic fundamentals of cooking and baking, history and influences of the world’s greatest cuisines, techniques for mastering common and exotic ingredients, and more.
Our Culinary Adventure
Cambridge School of Culinary Arts was founded in 1974 by Chef Roberta Dowling and her husband William. Roberta was a graduate of Madeleine Kaman’s Modern Gourmet cooking school. She began teaching people how to cook from her home in 1974, and in 1980 began developing CSCA’s curriculum for serious students aspiring to work in the food industry.
Roberta celebrated the 30th anniversary of Cambridge School of Culinary Arts in 2004 and was presented with a commendation from The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, recognizing CSCA for 30 years of teaching and inspiring future chefs. She was a friend, a cheerleader, and an advocate for adults transitioning careers into the culinary and pastry arts.
Throughout the decades our curricula have evolved to be rigorous and robust, and to this day we honor our late founder’s love of food, culinary innovation and exploration, and excellence in culinary arts education.
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Remembering Our Founder
Roberta’s cooking career was extensive. She began teaching for Madeleine Kamman at Modern Gourmet during its first year of operation (l968-l969). While with Ms. Kamman, she received both the Teaching and Professional Chef’s Diplomas, taught non-professional classes and the Professional Chef’s Program, and was named the Senior Teacher of Italian Cuisine. After leaving Modern Gourmet in l974, she opened her own cooking school (CSCA) and catering business (DeGustibus Catering).
In l976 she traveled to Bologna and Venice where she studied with and received diplomas from Marcella Hazan, author of The Classic Italian Cookbook; Richard Olney, considered as the master of French Provincial Cuisine; and Julie Dannenbaum, founder of one of the largest cooking schools in the United States.
Roberta taught French, Italian, and European cuisine to professional chefs and restaurateurs throughout the United States. Her extensive memberships included The American Culinary Federation, The International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), The American Institute of Wine and Food, The International Association of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs (WCR), and Les Dames d’Escoffier.
“Cooking is not just about book learning. Cooking is about using your senses. A great chef can look at the food in front of them and quickly understand what’s going on. I love to teach people to step outside of the recipe and really understand food.”
In addition, Roberta contributed original recipes to numerous magazines and cookbooks and was selected as one of the contributing chefs for the cookbook Boston’s Best Recipes. She has been featured by the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Yankee Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications. Ms. Dowling was also a featured guest on WBZ-TV Channel 4’s Women and WCVB-TV Channel 5’s Good Day Show. She received Channel 4’s Evening Magazine’s prestigious Best Bet Award for cooking schools in the area and was a guest on Evening Magazine. Further, Ms. Dowling has been honored with an Award of Excellence in the Entrepreneur category from IACP for her life-long contribution to the culinary arts. In 2013, she was named Educator of the Year by WCR, who recognized her dedication to teaching and impact in the culinary community.
Ms. Dowling served as a party planner, food consultant, and food stylist for a variety of audiences in the Boston area. Through her catering company, DeGustibus, she catered private events for such eminent individuals as Princess Grace of Monaco, Julia Child, Senator Edward Kennedy, Sixty Minutes news correspondent Lesley Stahl, Humberto Cardinal Medeiros, and famed Boston Globe food editor Anthony Spinazzola. Notable corporations and organizations served by Ms. Dowling’s talents include RCA, Honeywell, Polaroid, Cabot Corporation, People Magazine, Bloomingdale’s, Boston Opera Company, and the Boston Symphony.
Ms. Dowling passed away on August 17, 2015. Her legacy will continue to live on through the thousands of CSCA graduates, past, present, and future.