About The Institute of Culinary Education
The Institute of Culinary Education, located in New York, recently experienced a data breach affecting 33,342 individuals, including 46 Maine residents. The breach, attributed to an external system hack, occurred on April 21, 2025, and was discovered on August 26, 2025. The compromised data involved personal identifiers in combination with other sensitive information. Affected individuals were notified through written communication on September 26, 2025, and October 6, 2025.
What Happened
The Institute became aware of suspicious activity and promptly began an investigation into the nature and scope of the activity. Our investigation determined that an unauthorized actor gained access to certain Institute systems and copied files from those systems on or around May 5, 2025. We undertook a review of the relevant files in order to determine what data was present and to whom it related. We recently determined <> that information related to you was present in the relevant files. We then worked to reconcile the records and confirm contact information in order to provide you with this notice.
The breach affected over 33,000 individuals, with the intrusion occurring on April 21, 2025. An unauthorized actor accessed and copied files from the Institute’s systems, compromising personal information.
Next Steps
Affected individuals are advised to remain vigilant by reviewing their account statements and credit reports for any suspicious activity. They should take advantage of the free credit monitoring services offered by the Institute. It’s crucial to enroll by the specified deadline to benefit from these services. Additionally, reviewing the “Steps You Can Take to Help Protect Your Information” section of the notification letter is recommended for further protective measures.
Identity Theft Protection Services
The Institute of Culinary Education is offering impacted individuals 12 months of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services through Epiq. These services include credit monitoring with alerts, access to credit reports and scores, identity restoration services, and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance. Affected individuals are encouraged to enroll in these services to safeguard their personal information against potential misuse.