Food and Finance High School

What Food and Finance High School does

Food and Finance High School (FFHS) is a public high school operated by the NYC Department of Education and located at 525 W. 50th Street in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 2004, it functions as NYC's only Career and Technical Education (CTE) culinary high school, serving grades 9-12 students through a four-year curriculum that combines standard academic coursework (English, Math, Science, Social Studies) with double periods of culinary classes taught in professional kitchens by professional chefs. The school culminates in a CTE endorsement that certifies graduates as qualified in culinary arts.

The school's technology and program infrastructure centers on professional-grade commercial kitchens and the exclusive Cornell University Hydroponics, Aquaculture, and Aquaponics Learning Lab housed within the building, where select seniors complete internships in the science, engineering, production, and harvest of resources through hydroponics and aquiculture. Digital tools include the Sync Grades platform for assignment and grade tracking, Google Classroom integration, NYC Schools Account access, and dedicated iOS/Android mobile applications. Curriculum pathways extend beyond the CTE core into the SMART Scholars Early College Program with CUNY's NYC College of Technology (an all-expenses-paid path toward an Associates Degree in Hospitality Management), the CUNY College NOW early college credit program, paid senior year internships at NYC restaurants, and a portfolio of national culinary competitions (C-CAP, Monroe University, Colavita, Food Network).

FFHS does not operate a commercial revenue model. As a NYC DOE public school, it is funded through public education budgets with no tuition or fees charged to students. Admissions flow through the centralized NYC DOE MySchools platform, with prospective students and families reached via Open House events, middle school counselor outreach, and a multi-channel social media presence. The customer base is composed exclusively of NYC public school students seeking specialized culinary CTE training with industry certification and college credit pathways. FFHS's organizational parent is the NYC Department of Education, with the Food Education Fund serving as a closely affiliated non-profit Community Based Organization that connects students to industry opportunities.

Name

Food and Finance High School

Legal name

Food and Finance High School

Website

https://foodfinancehs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Food and Finance High School is NYC's only CTE culinary public high school, serving grades 9-12 students with professional kitchen training, an exclusive Cornell hydroponics lab, and all-expenses-paid early college pathways through CUNY City Tech.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Career and Technical Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Technical and Trade Schools (61151), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Career & Technical Education (CTE) Centers & Programs (EDAJAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional Culinary Arts (Chef Training) (EDAOAKAA), Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD), Nutrition & Dietetics Schools (EDAHAGAK)

Keywords

• Culinary arts education
• Career technical education
• Secondary education services
• Hospitality management training
• Early college programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public School Funding: As a NYC Department of Education public high school, FFHS is funded through public education budgets and does not generate revenue from tuition or fees.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Food and Finance High School is NYC's only CTE (Career and Technical Education) culinary high school, delivering a four-year curriculum that combines standard academics (English, Math, Science, Social Studies) with double periods of culinary classes taught by professional chefs in commercial-grade kitchens. Students graduate with a CTE endorsement certifying culinary qualification and may earn college credits through SMART Scholars and College NOW programs. The school also houses an exclusive Cornell University Hydroponics, Aquaculture, and Aquaponics Learning Lab and arranges paid year-long senior internships at NYC restaurants and hospitality organizations.

Product overview

Food and Finance High School is NYC's only CTE culinary high school offering a unified educational program that combines standard academics with specialized culinary arts training. The core product is its Culinary Arts CTE Program, supplemented by the SMART Scholars Early College Program enabling students to earn college credits toward an Associates Degree in Hospitality Management, and the College NOW program providing access to CUNY college courses. The four-year curriculum Pathway integrates academic subjects with culinary and business CTE courses, culminating in a CTE endorsement that certifies graduates as qualified in culinary arts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Culinary Arts CTE Program
• SMART Scholars Early College Program
• College NOW
• Curriculum Pathway
• Culinary Competitions & Scholarships

Quantifiable outcome

• CTE endorsement certifying qualified and trained in culinary arts upon graduation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Food NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Culinary Lab competition in New York City where FFHS students won first place. The partnership provides high-profile competition opportunity for students to showcase culinary skills on a national platform.
• Food Education Fund (FEF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit Community Based Organization that connects FFHS with top opportunities in the Culinary and Hospitality fields. Provides exclusive programs including The FEF Gala, The Colavita Culinary Competition and Exchange, Pass The Spatula, Dine Out, and more. FEF liaisons (Kyle and Marianne) facilitate student access to industry opportunities.
• Cornell UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive collaboration housing Cornell's Hydroponics, Aquaculture, Aquaponics Learning Lab in the FFHS building. Through the legacy of Dr. Philson Warner, select seniors gain internships in the science, engineering, production, and harvest of resources through hydroponics and aquiculture. Many interns go on to be accepted into Cornell University.
• CUNY's NYC College of Technology (City Tech)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the SMART Scholars Early College program made possible by NYS GAMECHANGER Grant. Students take college credit-bearing courses every term from summer after freshmen year until graduation, completing the first half of an Associates Degree in Hospitality Management. After graduation, students matriculate to City Tech to complete the second half.
• CUNY College NOWmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram providing FFHS students extensive access to Early College courses throughout NYC's CUNY network of colleges. Students obtain college credits, all expenses paid, before entering post-secondary education. Guidance counselors work closely with students, families, and college affiliates.
• Ryan Health ClinicmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Based Health Organization located in the FFHS building offering free medical services to students including those difficult to access elsewhere. Services include health clinic with consent form enrollment process.
• C-CAP (Careers through Culinary Arts Program)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational challenge where culinary students demonstrate technical skill, kitchen discipline, and professionalism. Provides platform to showcase talent to industry professionals and compete for life-changing college scholarships.
• Monroe UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCulinary competition partner offering America's Best High School Chef & Pastry Chef competitions. Top competitors may earn full-tuition scholarships to Monroe University's culinary program.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@FoodandFinanceHS
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61576938615506
• Instagraminstagram.com/foodandfinancehighschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/food-and-finance-high-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Food and Finance High School