5 Reasons You Need a Culinary Certificate and How It Will Help You Advance Your Career!

Want to advance in the culinary arts? Here’s why getting a culinary certificate should be the first step on your career path.

So you love to cook. In fact, you’d even say you’re passionate about it and want to make it your career.  So what now?  Do you get a job at a restaurant and hope to work your way up the ranks?  Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to have someone mentor you.  Maybe you have the resources to start your own business and hope for the best.  Any of those things might work for some,  but personally, we think there is a better way to ensure your success as a chef.  Earn a culinary certificate.

The American Culinary Federation (ACF) is the premiere chef’s organization in the country.  Culinarians across America recognize an ACF Certificate as the most comprehensive and prestigious certificate available for a chef.  There are over 15 levels offered from entry level, with no work experience required, to master chef level.  Whether you have little to no knowledge or have quite a bit of experience, attending a school that is approved by the ACF to start your education or fill in any knowledge gaps is key.  Then you can test for the ACF Certificate.

It’s important to obtain an ACF culinary certificate early in your career. 

Doing so is a sure way to accelerate your career.  Having your ACF certificate will validate your culinary skills, making you stand out from your competition.  You will be a more valuable candidate for hiring and promotion.  Some of the benefits of getting your ACF certificate are:

1. Distinguish yourself by proving you have the knowledge and skills required for a position
2. Demonstrate that you embrace continuing education as a life-long goal
3. Gain self-confidence through the process of achieving a meaningful, challenging, and quality-driven credential
4. As you uphold the Culinarian Code of Ethics that you learn, you will carry yourself with respect, integrity and professionalism
5. Prove your ability to cultivate new and innovative culinary techniques and skills

So where do you go to get the education needed for a culinary arts certificate?

A 2018 Forbes article stated that “Half the young people that start college don’t earn a degree but leave with piles of debt.”  Many people in their twenties and thirties are seeking ways to gain skills and knowledge to support a career that’s quicker and less expensive than traditional higher education.

There are many traditional culinary schools throughout the country.  There are also a handful of culinary schools that offer an accelerated professional chef certificate from the ACF.  An accelerated school will give you the opportunity to jump start your career by completing what might take 18 months or so at a traditional school in only 12 weeks!  It will also save a lot of money for tuition.  Salt Lake Culinary Education, located in South Salt Lake City, Utah is the only accelerated culinary school in Utah that is approved by the ACF and is also only 1 of about 5 accelerated programs approved by the ACF in the country.  If you’re ready to jump in and move forward quickly, an accelerated program may be just the ticket.

Get into school and get your ACF certificate.  

Regardless of whether you choose to attend a traditional culinary school or attend an accelerated culinary school, this should be the first step on your path.  When you do so, you will discover your weaknesses and have the opportunity to achieve excellence in your culinary skills.  Taking the time to attain your ACF certificate shows that you recognize the extensive knowledge and expertise you will learn in getting the ACF certificate and that you are willing to dedicate yourself and push your boundaries to achieve top skills in the culinary arts.

If you thought this was helpful, you would be so impressed with everything you could learn in one of our classes! Check out our class calendar to get signed up for cooking classes, book a private event, or enroll in our professional culinary school  in Salt Lake City, Utah today!