Start Here. Get There.
- Stackable credentials can help lead to better jobs and higher levels of education and training.
- Our online culinary education courses satisfy the education requirements for a variety of industry credentials.
- Certificates, badges and certification are examples of stackable credentials that help document your journey.
Our primary focus is workforce education and training, and each of our courses cover a variety of key concept areas in professional cooking. No matter what your background, we are here to help you serve your current and potential customers more effectively. From front of the house staff wanting to understand nutrition or management, to your kitchen getting the fundamental education they need, we have you covered. We believe that the more you learn, the more valuable you become as an employee, and the further along you will be in your culinary career. Our courses will provide you with a solid educational foundation, and allow you to continue to enhance your professional knowledge in a relevant, convenient and economical way. Let us help you jumpstart or elevate your cooking and culinary career.
What are Stackable Credentials?
Stackable credentials are part of a sequence of education accumulated over time to build up an individual's qualification to help them move along a career pathway or up a career ladder to potentially different and/or higher paying jobs.
Our students work to accumulate credentials by completing various levels of coursework required by a variety of credentialing agencies and associations. These courses help individual students move along a chosen career pathway. Each pathway consists of a clear sequence of coursework and/or other credentials that support skill attainment and employment. Certificates, badges and certification are examples of stackable credentials that help document your journey.
Culinary Credential Pathways
A variety of associations and agencies offer credentials for meeting specific education/coursework requirements, and in some cases, work requirements. We have identified specific culinary related credentials that provide clear pathways for our students, and have listed these credential opportunities from entry-level through management. The agencies, credentials, and coursework offered through chefcertification.com to pursue each are listed below:
Workforce Training Certificate
The Fundamentals of Professional Cooking Workforce Training Certificate is being offered to individuals who are looking to gain a better understanding of the essentials of professional cooking. Please refer to the course outlines within our course catalog for a detailed listing of the topic areas covered within each course as well as a listing of instructional videos included within each course. For additional details regarding the Fundamentals of Professional Cooking Workforce Training Certificate, please visit our Workforce Training Certificate page.
Students who choose to pursue the Fundamentals of Professional Cooking Workforce Training Certificate are required to complete all 12 courses listed under Workforce Training Certificate Courses listed in our course catalog. After completion of each course, each student will receive a confirmation of completion for that course. Once ALL courses are completed, your course completions will be reviewed, and your Fundamentals of Professional Cooking Certificate will be uploaded to your account.
Work Requirements: There are no specific work requirements for this credential.
Food Safety Manager Certification
Food safety certification is one of the top levels of certification that each property/restaurant/food service operation requires to show their customers that they care about the safety of the food they produce. At chefcertification.com, we have been training chefs for over 20 years and provide detailed course content to reach your Food Safety/Protection Manager goals. Courses at chefcertification.com are based on the Food Code provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Our 30 Hour Culinary Sanitation and Safety course also meets the American Culinary Federation's guidelines for ACF certification which is often encouraged for management positions (US residents only).
We have identified several preferred food safety credentials that are available for students to pursue after completion of required coursework at chefcertification.com for each. There are additional fees associated with each, and payment is made directly with the credentialing agency. For more information on these credential opportunities, visit our Food Safety Manager Certification page.
Work Requirements: There are no specific work requirements for this credential.
ACF Chef Certification
For over 45 years, the American Culinary Federation has been the premier certifying body for cooks and chefs in America. The ACF Chef Certification program is the most comprehensive stackable credential program for U.S. students/culinarians. ACF Certification is based on education, experience, and successful completion of written and practical exams.
Description of Certification from the ACF Website:
Differentiate Yourself: ACF Certification adds value to the certificants, employers and the public. With thousands of chefs competing in the job market, it is essential to prove your culinary competency. Benefits of ACF Certification:
All certification levels require documentation of completion of coursework 30 hours in length in the topic areas of Culinary Sanitation and Safety, Culinary Nutrition and Wellness and Culinary Supervisory Management. Higher levels of certification also require completion of 30 hour courses within the topic ares of Food Cost Control and Beverage Management. For more information on each level, and the courses required to achieve each, please visit our ACF Certification page.
ACF Culinary Educator Certification
If you are a culinary educator seeking courses to satisfy your CCE requirements, or are just looking for some inspiration and motivation for your teaching practice, you will find a wide variety of courses within our catalog. The ACF requires 120 Continuing Education hours for CCE certification. The mandatory course topic areas to meet the minimum requirement are at least 8 hours in each of the following topics: Assessment & Testing, Teaching Methods, Educational Psychology, Curriculum development. We currently offer 135 CEH in education related topics at Chefcertification.com.
For more information on Culinary Educator Certification, and the courses required for this level of certification, please visit our ACF Certification page.
