Certified Culinarian®
Initial Application | Recommended Study Materials | Final Application
Requirements
- Minimum Job Experience: Two years as an
entry level culinarian. Experience must be within the past 10 years.
Candidates with a one year Culinary Arts program certificate require one
year of entry level work experience. Candidates with an Associates
degree in Culinary Arts do not require job experience.
Employment
Documentation Forms
- Minimum Educational Requirements: High
school diploma/GED. If you do not have a high school diploma/GED, 100
hours of continuing education are required. Hours earned for mandatory
courses and/or refreshers are included in the minimum CEH
requirement.
In addition to the requirements
listed above, you must provide documentation of three 30-hour
courses—one in Nutrition, one in Food Safety and Sanitation, and
one in Supervisory Management. If these courses were taken more than
five years ago, an eight hour refresher course is required in each
topic. These courses are available at Chefcertification.com or any
accredited school. (ServSafe must be a documented 30-hour course to
fulfill the mandatory requirement. The 8- or 16-hour courses are only
counted as a refresher.)
Submit application and documentation of requirements to ACF for
approval by:
E-mail (preferred): certify@acfchefs.net
Fax: (904) 825-4758
Mail to: American Culinary Federation, Inc.
Certification Department
180 Center Place Way
St. Augustine, FL 32095
Approval
Once the candidate’s application is approved he or she will be
eligible to take the written and practical exams. Only after approval
may a candidate register for the written or practical exam.
Certification Examinations
The purpose of the certification examinations is to assess and
objectively measure the knowledge and skills of a candidate to determine
if they meet ACF standards.
- Written
Exam: ACF written exams are administered by Comira. The written exam fee is $75. An ACF
number is required at time of registration. To request an ACF
identification number contact certify@acfchefs.net prior to
registration. You can register for the exam by calling (800) 947-4228,
option 4, Mon.–Fri. 6 a.m.–5 p.m. Pacific time, Sat. 8
a.m.–noon Pacific time, or you can register 24/7 at the ACF/Comira Online Registration Site. Please
note that you must have a credit card to register online. Written exam
scores are valid for two years.
- Candidates have one hour to complete the 100 multiple choice
question exam.
- No support materials other than pens, pencils, and calculators are
permitted.
- A score of seventy percent (70%) or higher is required to pass.
- Practical
Exam: All levels of ACF certification require candidates to be
tested for practical skill proficiency. The CC practical exam is two and
half hours and can be taken at any ACF approved test
site. A score of 75% or higher is required to pass. Practical exam
scores are valid for one year.
To help you prepare for the Practical Exam, review the Practical
Exam Candidate Manual.
Upon successful completion of the written and practical exams, the
candidate should submit final application along with appropriate
documentation: written and practical exam passing forms and remaining
certification fee. Make sure all back-up documentation, copies only (no
originals) are included.
Opportunity for ACFEF Accredited Program Graduates
Graduates of ACFEF accredited postsecondary
degree or certificate/diploma programs are eligible to receive either a
Certified Culinarian® (CC®) or Certified
Pastry Culinarian® (CPC®) certification depending on the
concentration of their program without paying any fees or taking any
separate exams. All graduates must provide a copy of their final
transcript showing date of graduation and documentation of ACF
membership at the time of graduation. Certificate/Diploma graduates must
also document 1 year of entry level work experience to receive their
certification. Application and documentation must be submitted within
one year of graduation.
Recommended Study Materials
The ACF Education Foundation offers certification training courses
and practice certification exams on eCulinary.
Courses contain study materials in all major subjects related to the ACF
certification exams, including sanitation, nutrition, and supervisory
management.
The following books are suggested in preparation
for the written and practical exams:
- Culinary Fundamentals, ACF:
Prentice Hall BUY
- Baking Fundamentals, ACF: Prentice
Hall BUY
- Supervision in the Hospitality Industry:
Applied Human Resources, 5th Ed., Miller, Walker, Drummond: John
Wiley & Sons BUY
- Nutrition for Foodservice and Culinary
Professionals, 6th Ed., Drummond, Brefere: John Wiley & Sons
BUY
- Food Safety Fundamentals: Essentials of
Food Safety & Sanitation, McSwane, Rue, Linton, Williams:
Prentice Hall BUY
- The Professional Pastry Chef: Fundamentals
of Baking Pastry, 4th Ed., Friberg: John Wiley & Sons BUY
- Escoffier: The Complete Guide to the Art
of Modern Cookery, John Wiley & Sons BUY
