The Institute of Culinary Education and Wagyu Sommelier extend their annual partnership with a bicoastal lineup and expanded education for the level one iteration
NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Institute of Culinary Education and Wagyu Sommelier today announce an expanded partnership for 2026. The second annual certification training will make its debut in New York at the Institute of Culinary Education in Brookfield Place (October 26-28) after returning to the Los Angeles campus for the second year (October 19-21). Both multi-day training sessions will include education on Japanese Wagyu quality, traceability, nutritional benefits, sourcing, and heritage, as well as butchery and whole-animal usage. New for this year, the level one certification includes expanded training for front-of-the-house teams in addition to hands-on cooking and chef demonstrations.
The partnership centers around both organizations’ commitment to culinary education and quality ingredients. While professional chefs and hospitality professionals will make up the majority of attendees on both coasts, the Institute of Culinary Education will select approximately 35 students from its cohorts to participate in the new certification at no additional cost. The Institute is also working with the Wagyu Sommelier program to handpick culinary and hospitality speakers and attendees to receive the training at no cost. The selection process is led by the originator of the partnership, Mishel LeDoux, Director of Hospitality and Management Programs for the Institute’s Los Angeles campus and Senior Vice President of Culinary Operations, Barry Tonkinson in New York.
“There is no limit to the benefits of education and we are proud to act as a catalyst for expanding access to burgeoning programs like Wagyu Sommelier certifications. This multi-year partnership allows us to bring our students into a growing community in the industry, connecting them to elite expertise and real-time networking as they build their careers. We look forward to providing an opportunity to better understand an often misunderstood ingredient under masterful guidance. This program is a unique educational experience that we’re excited to bring to New York for the first time,” says Lachlan Sands, President of Los Angeles Campus, Institute of Culinary Education.
In partnership with the Japan External Trade Organization, Wagyu Sommelier will provide attendees with tastes and training including rare access to brands of Japanese Wagyu heritages not yet widely available in the United States. The expansion of the certification program is an industry and education-first approach to ingredient ambassadorship created to help diversify and deepen industry understanding of a deeply nuanced ingredient and its sourcing process.
“Our growing partnership with the Institute of Culinary Education has been instrumental in providing expertise, educational resources and a generous approach to creating on-campus communities in major food cities. We are looking forward to welcoming a new generation of Wagyu sommeliers into the certification program and continuing to help industry experts better understand the world of Japanese Wagyu,” Nan Sato, Founder and CEO of Wagyu Sommelier.
For the first time ever, Wagyu Sommelier and the Institute of Culinary Education are accepting applications to attend certification training in either New York or Los Angeles. To learn more and apply, click here for Los Angeles, click here for New York.
About the Institute of Culinary Education
The award-winning Institute of Culinary Education was established in 1975 and has since grown to be one of America’s leading centers for culinary education. With campuses in New York City and Los Angeles, and robust online programs, the school was ranked by USA Today as the “#1 Culinary School in America” in 2019. The Institute provides comprehensive education in Culinary Arts, Pastry & Baking Arts, Health-Centered Culinary Arts, Restaurant & Culinary Management, and Tourism, Travel & Hospitality Management. These intensive career-training programs can be completed in as little as eight months to jump-start a career in the industry. The Institute also offers a vast menu of recreational courses for the public and hosts industry and private events. The school continues to grow and evolve; within the last decade, the Institute launched its LA campus and acquired both the Natural Gourmet Institute and French Culinary Institute (International Culinary Center). For more information, visit our website at ice.edu or connect with us at @iceculinary on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook.
About Wagyu Sommelier
Founded in 2020, Wagyu Sommelier Trading is the only dedicated importer of single-farm, whole-animal, rare-herd, and long-vintage Japanese Wagyu beef in the United States. As both an educator and wholesaler, WST bridges the American butchery gap, supplying beef sourced directly from independent Japanese farms and demystifying the high-value, under-exposed cuts beyond the loin. An uncompromising commitment to the integrity and traceability of the Wagyu beef supply chain underpins the company’s unique position as not only a purveyor, but the foremost educator and promoter of nose-to-tail butchery and farm-direct import of the world’s most cherished beef. The Level 1 and Level 2 Wagyu Sommelier certifications are the only certificate courses of their kind in the United States, and offer culinary students and chef-attendees the unique opportunity to work hands-on with the product under the direct tutelage of master butchers from Japan. For more information, visit us online at wagyusommelier.com or find us via @the.wagy.sommelier on Instagram.
Contact: Bre Metcalf-Oshinsky, Head of PR & Partnerships, pr@ice.edu
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SOURCE The Institute of Culinary Education
