Certified Master Chef
Certified Master Pastry Chef

The CMC program was initiated in 1981. The driving force behind the program was Ferdinand Metz, CMC, AAC, who was chairman of the Master Chef Committee. Chef Metz was president of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) from 1980-2001 and ACF national president from 1979-1983. He has held several other ACF offices.

In October 1981, the first five ACF chefs to be granted CMC status were Byron Bardy, Milos Cihelka, Anton Flory, Dieter Kiessling, and Richard Schneider.

In 1982, the program was presented to the World Association of Chefs Societies congress in Vienna, Austria, and granted official recognition by that body.

The purpose of establishing ACF certification and, ultimately, the Master Chef program, was to provide a wider range of certifications while requiring educational classes in addition to culinary skills and experience. The CMC level is the highest and most demanding level of achievement of all the certification levels, granted only after the candidate has passed an intensive 8-day test of culinary skills and knowledge.

Applicant Qualification Guidelines

• Possess the practiced skills to perform culinary art to the very highest standards
• Have a foundation of quality experience and education in advanced level courses, externships and/or competitions
• Be physically and mentally prepared to perform eight days under extreme pressure
• Secure funding to cover expenses: application fee, tuition, travel, housing, meals, etc. based at approximately $4,000 - $6,000

Step 1: The candidate should submit a letter of intent and the completed CMC application to apply for the ACF CMC/CMPC exam, along with letters of recommendation from two CMCs and the nonrefundable application fee of $300 to the ACF National Office.

Candidates may download a copy of the CMC manual in order to prepare of the practical exam. Candidates will also be notified of each of the next three occurring exams.

Step 2: Upon receipt of the complete application and required documentation, the candidates will receive confirmation of receipt, the next exam date (if available), and their status will be changed from updated to active. From this point forward, the candidate will be subject to all policies and procedures regarding the exam.

Step 3: The last step is to register for the CMC/CMPC exam. Active candidates are notified by mail of pending test dates. In addition, exam dates are listed in the National Culinary Review, the ACF's flagship publication. There must be a minimum of six active candidates enrolled for a particular date in order for the exam to be held.

Tuition Payments, Refunds and Other expenses

Once a candidate has committed to an exam date, they are to respond to the notice and follow the payment schedule as listed:

• The exam fee for the CMC or CMPC is $3,300 (subject to change).
• The application fee of $300 is nonrefundable and entitles the candidate to be listed as a preparatory candidate for the next three exams.
• Three months prior to the start of the exam, the candidate is required to make a deposit of $1,000.
• Three weeks prior to the exam, the candidate is required to pay the remaining balance of $2,000.

Candidates accepted for an exam date, but who are unable to attend, must submit a written letter of withdrawal. Letters of withdrawal received one month prior to the administration of the exam may be fully refunded. However, notices received after this time only qualify for a 75 percent refund. There will be no refunds once the exam has begun.

All other expenses associated with taking the exam (travel, room, board, etc.) are the responsibility of the candidate. This includes any charges required by the host institution for make-up exams.