Dorothy Cann Hamilton

Dorothy Cann Hamilton (August 25, 1949 – September 16, 2016) was the founder and CEO of the International Culinary Center, which she founded as The French Culinary Institute (FCI) in 1984. She was also president of the Friends of the USA Pavilion for Expo Milano 2015. WomanzWorld described her as "one of the most influential forces shaping the American culinary landscape today".

Hamilton was born in Manhattan in 1949. She was first introduced to fine French dining while she was studying at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in England, when she made numerous trips to France.

After graduating with a B.A. honors degree, Hamilton spent three years in the Peace Corps in Thailand where she learned about Asian cuisine. She earned an M.B.A. from New York University Stern Business School.

Hamilton resided with her daughter, dividing their time between New York City and Litchfield County, Connecticut. She died at the age of 67 on September 16, 2016 in a car accident in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Hamilton was a past Chairman of the Board of the James Beard Foundation and is Chair Emeritus of the American Institute of Food and Wine. She created and hosted Chef’s Story, a weekly radio program on the Heritage Radio Network and a 26-part television series, which aired on PBS in 2007 and is co-author of its companion book.

She conceived textbooks for the school—The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine, The Fundamental Techniques of Pastry Arts, The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking and The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Italian Cuisine, with the first two and the Italian book each receiving James Beard Foundation Awards for best professional cookbook; the pastry book was also acknowledged by the IACP. Her book on culinary careers, Love What You Do: Building a Career in the Culinary Industry was published in the fall of 2009.

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