National Culinary Review May/June 2024

WHY TO CERTIFY

Reasons why students and aspiring chefs should consider ACF certifications from a culinary educator’s viewpoint //

By ACF Chef Paul Sorgule, AAC

Thinking about a career before your 18th birthday seems premature, but earning a paycheck is certainly exciting. Say your first real job was working in a local restaurant as a dishwasher in high school. The work is hard but not difficult; the people are energized, and when it’s busy, the adrenaline runs freely. Maybe on occasion, the breakfast cook pulls you onto the line to help with plating the never-ending stream of orders, flipping pancakes and cracking eggs. It’s great fun and you’re learning something new every day. By the end of summer, you’re able to fly solo during the slower parts of service having now mastered cooking eggs of all types, assembling plates for the pass and bantering with the service staff. It seems like this type of work suits you well and by senior year your mind is made up.

“I want to be a cook and maybe a chef someday,” you think. The goal is set. Now the hard part: How do you get there?

The chef took you under her wing, teaching you how to hold a knife,

properly cut vegetables and work those egg pans like a champion. She pulled you aside one day for a serious talk about pursuing a career in the culinary arts. If you really want to become a chef someday, then there are several routes you might take. You can stick with the method you are used to, what we call the school of hard knocks; find a more formal apprenticeship program working with an accomplished chef; or attend culinary school. In all cases I would encourage you to be serious, give it your all and tune in to becoming certified along the way.

So, what is the purpose in seeking certification? This is a question that many cooks would ask. Although the reasons and benefits may be uniquely personal, here are some of my picks:

VALIDATION BY YOUR PEERS

Throughout our lives we tend to value the opinion of those with whom we have strong connections: parents, siblings, close friends, coaches and teachers. But few are more significant than professional peers — the people we admire for their skills, knowledge and commitment to a certain type of work. Certification is a standard of excellence judged by chefs who know what it takes to reach this pinnacle of their career. This peer recognition is one of the more gratifying aspects of working in a profession, whether athlete, doctor, musician, actor, artist or cook to name a few.

A WAY TO CHART CAREER MILESTONES

Certification provides a checklist that recognizes competence and confidence from cook apprentice to master chef. Each goal is significantly challenging, encompassing more and more skill and knowledge along the way. You might at one point ask yourself, “Where am I en route to my goal of chef? What else will it take and what must I work on to complete the journey?” Certification is part of your roadmap in answering these important questions.

ACF Certified Executive Chefs Russel Cunningham, CEC, CCA (left), and Paul Jensen, II, CEC, CCA, AAC (right), have had more opportunities open up after earning ACF certifications, including (as pictured here) competing for Chef of the Year at the 2023 ACF National Convention.

A CHALLENGE WORTH TAKING

Many of us love challenges, especially ones that are just a touch beyond our ability at the time. They push us to improve and move the needle a bit further, to create a rallying cry to see just how much you can accomplish. The Japanese call this kaizen, or the commitment to constant improvement. Reaching for that carrot just out of your grasp brings strength through determination — a challenge worth taking on. Certification recognizes competence and in turn builds confidence.

ESTABLISHMENT OF YOUR PERSONAL VALUE PROPOSITION

Knowing your professional value in terms of skill and contribution is a self-motivating tool. Value is also a reason why an employer would seek you out and do so with an understanding of your worth to an organization. This will help to define compensation, rank and growth potential.

A WAY TO BUILD YOUR BRAND

People are not commodities. Your personal brand or image can serve as a hallmark for success as a future chef and the success of the restaurant or food-related business where you hang your hat. Certification validates your brand in addition to opening numerous professional doors throughout your career.

ELEVATING THE PROFESSION

When you demonstrate verified competence to the marketplace and personify professionalism, the position of chef is also lifted. You are the image of the American chef, and certification is a badge of honor that celebrates this.

ESTABLISH TRUST WITH YOUR GUESTS

Every guest who patronizes a restaurant places trust in the operation and those who tie on an apron. When they see that decal on the restaurant door that proclaims an ACF-certified chef oversees the operation, then they can rest assured the kitchen is operated under the highest standards. Certification builds trust.

To learn more about ACF certification levels, visit acfchefs.org/certification .

ACF Chef Paul Sorgule, AAC, is president of Harvest America Ventures LLC, a foodservice consulting and training company. His culinary career spans nearly 50 years, and he has served as an executive chef, culinary educator, dean and consultant. Chef Sorgule earned a gold medal in the 1988 Culinary Olympics as a member of the New England Culinary Team, was recognized by ACF as the National Culinary Educator of the Year in 2001 and has received other medals and honors in culinary competitions over the years. Read his blog at harvestamericacues.com