The Culinary School of Fort Worth’s August graduates left their commencement with not only a diploma but also an American Culinary Federation (ACF) certification.
The Professional Culinary Program at CSFTW is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation making its graduates eligible for one of two ACF certifications upon program completion.
Dependent on their entry level food service experience, CSFTW graduates will leave the school as either a Certified Fundamentals Cook (CFC) or a Certified Culinarian (CC) as long as they complete the program and fill out their free certification applications. The Culinary School of Fort Worth pays for American Culinary Federation student culinarian memberships for each of its graduates which makes the application free.
For The Culinary School of Fort Worth’s most recent group of graduates, this extra certification is another great resume builder to add to the 900 hours of kitchen experience they gain at the school. It also represents a launching pad for them to continue to climb up ACF’s ranks.
Savory chefs have six different certifications that they can attain through the ACF. It starts with CFC and is followed by CC, Certified Sous Chef, Certified Chef de Cuisine, Certified Executive Chef, and, finally, Certified Master Chef.
In a heavily saturated job market, these certifications allow culinarians to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. ACF certifications not only prove a chef’s determination to continue their education as a life-long practice, but they also help the chef to build their own self-confidence by completing these different levels of education.
For the 20 CCs and 2 CFCs that recently graduated from the CSFTW, they will now have the opportunity to be able to continue working their way to the top of the certification list thanks to the great head start that they were given at The Culinary School of Fort Worth.
“Providing memberships for these students in an organization like the ACF creates opportunities for community, continued growth, and of course, certification, and we were happy to cover this cost for our graduates,” CSFTW’s president Scott Wade said.
This membership and certification partnership between CSFTW and the ACF will extend to all future graduates of the school as well.
Written by James Creange.