CERTIFICATION

What Is Certification and Why Getting Certified Benefits You?

Professional Certification is one of the great benefits provided to all cooks and chefs by the American Culinary Federation (ACF) The ACF Certification is a symbol of professionalism. Certification documents educational and professional progression and is becoming increasingly more necessary in today's competitive culinary job market.

ACF Certification is a verification of a chef’s professional development and demonstrates that a chef has the taken initiative to take charge of their professional development and career. Certification provides benchmarks of skill development and culinary expertise. Certification verifies that professional chefs have the knowledge and skill required for elevated culinary positions.

Employers value ACF certified culinarians because their education, skills and experience have been evaluated and verified as competent. Employers know that ACF certified culinarians not only have the necessary cooking skills but also possess a thorough knowledge of culinary nutrition, food safety and sanitation, and culinary supervisory management, necessary for success in today's foodservice kitchens.

Certification is open to all culinarians, including chefs, cooks, bakers, culinary educators and administrators.

There are 14 levels of certification, and each requires specific qualifications, in addition to knowledge of culinary nutrition, food safety and sanitation, and culinary supervisory management. It is fundamental to the certification program that work experience is equivalent to the level of certification

As Certification Chairman for the Professional Chefs Association of Houston it will be my great pleasure to assist and guide you through the Certification process on the way toward attaining your professional goals.

For more information on Certification please contact the ACF website.

Also please see the ACF Certification Information at:

http://www.acfchefs.org/Content/Education/Certification/default.htm