CERTIFY
I s the public aware of the existing certifications for cooks, chefs, and all food service establishments? NYC has enacted a grading program for food service establishments which are graded on a scale from A-F depending on the establishment’s operation services, sanitary conditions, and equipment deficiencies. Food service operations with an “F” grade from a Health Inspector require a reinspection forcing the operation to take corrective action or face potential fines, or even a permanent shut-down. This public information may influence decisions made by consumers on where
restaurant has better food, better service, and more offerings, but the less informed customer will choose the higher-rated restaurant since they lack any other reference to judge by. Once, I was in my final stage of interviewing for the Executive Chef position at Saint Andrew’s Golf Club in Westchester New York. The oldest running golf course in the USA. The President of the Club asked me if I was a certified chef. Ouch, my heart sank, I felt I made a career error not getting certified. Here I was with a lifetime
to dine, resulting in an inherent reason to maintain a clean, well- run, and profitable food operation. The certification process for a sought-after title of Certified Executive Chef (CEC) includes sanitation, and many CEC’s have passed the ServSafe exam administered by the National Restaurant Association (NRA). There is a governing body in place that administers the certification process, the American Culinary Federation (ACF). There are entry-level culinary certifications (CC) all the way up to Certified Culinary Administrator (CCA). The certifications include a separate designation for Baking & Pastry. These certifications help the customer make a decision on
opportunity, and I was not certified. My response was an honest “No Sir”. Followed by a commitment I would get certified. Over the 10 years in this job, I earned most of the certifications available from the ACF, the NRA, and the Culinary Institute of America, the Pro-Chef levels I, II, and III. As a certified lead Approved Culinary Evaluator (ACE-2), I have had the pleasure to participate and judge the practical exams for certifications. I built a commercial kitchen in my garage at home to bring candidates to practice, and I was practicing to take the Master Chef Exam. Few chefs have learned the same way. The ACF has set the standard for their own program the Pro-
CHEF PATRICK WILSON
where to dine. Faced with the knowledge of 2 similar food service operations having DOH Grades of an “A” and “D,” consumers are likely to choose option “A.” Let’s look at the certification of the chef from a customer’s perspective. Letter grades are issued to all food outlets and are mandated to be posted where the public can see it. Consider a couple from out of town who want to dine in Little Italy, but they are not familiar with the restaurants. They find themselves looking into two restaurant windows. These side-by- side restaurants both have the inspection grade posted for the customers to easily view the scores and grades. One restaurant has a grade of an A, the other has a grade of D. Both restaurants are very nice, very similar in price, size, and offerings. Perhaps the “D” rated
Chef Program. I am honored to say, I took and passed all 3 levels of the program. All chefs learn differently, as they have different strengths and culinary interests. If the public was educated about these training programs, would they demand that chefs be better trained and better educated with a higher level of culinary skills? The ACF has established the standards, the requirements, and the progression to become certified. Those who are Certified Executive Chefs are asked to display fundamental knowledge about cooking, similar to other professions’ requirements. The resulting successful chef ’s accomplishments can be part of the operations marketing plan, along with a great DOH grade. n
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