Discussion Forums
for the
Personal Chef Industry

What are your thoughts on ACF certification as a personal chef? According to the ACF website, they now have a designation as Personal Certified Chef available. However, the requirements appear to be fairly rigorous, including some formal culinary education among other things.

Is ACF certification worth the effort? Do you need it? Does it make a difference to your clients?

Hi Diane,

Thanks for your question about ACF certification. You ask if it is "worth it". Is ANY certification "worth it"?

Many Executive Chefs, Chefs de Cuisine, Sous Chefs and Certified Culinarians will tell you YES. They worked hard to attain it, and they are proud of it. Did you know that there are only 60 Certified Master Chefs in the US? Certification is meaningful if you want to pursue it, but NO ONE is obligated to certify at any level.

The American Culinary Federation has been certifing foodservice professionals for the past 75 years, and is the only 3rd party accredited certification in the industry.
Certification, as a process, through the ACF is prestigious but can take years to attain.
The reason we are in partnership wilth the ACF regarding certification is to offer a program that actually means something.

I think the BIG misconception here with regard to ANY certification is this:
Certification by any group in the foodservice industry is OPTIONAL. It always has been, and it always should be.

If you were to walk into the kitchen of any restaurant in town and ask for a show of hands from everyone who is certified, the hands in the air would definitely be in the minority.

If you are operating with a Municipal business license, a Safe Food Handling Certification (ServeSafe), and carrying appropriate general liability insurance coverage you have every right to operate your personal chef business, and should pursue certification only if you choose to. We have found over the past 10 years that is does not affect your clients at all. Unless you bring it up, they do not ask.

It would be like having a patron enter a restaurant and ask whether or not the kitchen staff were all certified. It just doesn't happen.

There is another group in the industry who created a multiple-choice written "self certification" for their group as a marketing tool, but began to wield it as a weapon which is truly dangerous. Don't be intimidated about not being certified yet.
We're working with the ACF to add an additional level of certification that is more attainable for 2nd career personal chefs entering the industry and should be providing more information about that level in the near future.

I hope this helps.
Thanks again for the good question, Diane
Candy

I think that your primary motivation in ACF certification has got to be personal. You've achieved a lot, feel good about your personal, professional and culinary skill level and you are motivated to set the bar even higher and achieve certfication.

Can you use it as a marketing tool? Of course. If you are aiming for a certain clientele, it could be an effective marketing tool. My target market, for example -- time pressed clients who have disposable income, but may not exactly be rolling in it, looking for a nutritious, great tasting dinner -- they seem to be far more interested in what's on the menu than what my qualifications are.

In over five years, one client has asked me about my culinary background, education, experience. One.

Of course, if I had achieved ACF certfication, you bet I'd be mentioning it. But I suspect other than a pleased "oh!" it wouldn't be a deal-maker for most of them. I'd have to undergo certification for myself -- and I have to admit that the respect of your peers would be a deal-sweetener.

Necessary? No. A worthy achievement. Oh, yes. Although as I mentioned in an earlier post -- you would want to think of it as the "next step" -- I've established my successful personal chef business, what next? Some people are happy cranking out the same thing, doing the same thing day after day. But the rest of us need to keep growing -- you may choose to expand your business in different directions, continue your education, or explore certification. Dealer's choice!

Being a member of ACF, I have asked myself this question, every time I pay my annual dues. If the cost is an issue, think of it this way. It is about $ 15.00 a month. About the cost of a magazine. With ACF membership you get "center of the plate" magazine as part of your "perks."

Secondly, the contact with chefs in the industry is a valuable source of information, support and a sense of comraderie. Job opportunities, hiring opportunities are hard to put a value on.

Thirdly, ACF looks very good on a resume as well as any other professional memberships.

The fourth thing I would point out is that you have an opportunity to get your name out there and that comes through community projects and opportunities within ACF itself.

You can write off your membership as a business expense.

As far as the ACF's personal chef feature, I would join as an acting member and evaluate later what it might offer you.

Good luck!

I have to agree with all of what was mentioned before.

As an ACF certified chef, the certification for me was based on my desire for personal achievment.

I have never asked clients if they chose me over someone else, because I was certified, but I would doubt that would really be a big factor.

I am working on getting certification through the IACP now. This is a personal choice.

If there is anybody out there that is interested in the certification process, I would be happy to help you, as I am pretty well informed on how both personal chef certification levels work.

Feel free to contact me at chefira@personalchef.com

Ira

I'm new to the forums, but thought I might chime in here. Having been a member of ACF and seen the certification requirements change over the years (20 to be exact), I've noticed the trend to make them "mean something" as someone mentioned. The industry wanted to have a set of standards that those who called themselves "Chef" could measure against. Over this time, I have seen a continuing and growing recognition of the work involved in getting certification by "clients" so to speak - in the world I've worked in for so long those clients would be major corporations.

I've seen the trend continue to grow in the smaller units of restaurants and institutions. Where 5 and 10 years ago you could walk into a place with no certification and get an excellent job, more and more places are requiring a certification. If not requiring it, then it at least helps to command a larger salary.

Why do I think this is relevant? Well, if history repeats, there will come a time when this rapidly growing segment (Personal Chef) of the culinary industry will find certification more valuable to the individual then it might seem now. The market will get more competitive, and if you have to decide between Personal Chef A and Personal Chef B, all things being equal, a certified professional would be a likely choice. And looking down the road, the longer I can say that I have been certified, the better off I am for marketing purposes.

I hope you don't mind me jumping in and giving my two cents.

Thanks for the post. Jump in ANY time - that's what these forums are for!

Your point about the certifications changing over the years is excellent, and you're right about the ACF encouraging more and more employers to encourage certification. It's a good thing for the foodservice industry overall.

We've been working closely with the ACF to develop appropriate and meaningful certification levels for personal chefs for some time now, and have begun to offer them through the ACF.

The most recent level we have jointly developed and agreed on is the entry level, or CC (Certified Culinarian) level which is now available for personal chefs. The criteria for CC is posted on the ACF site, and the practical exam criteria will be posted soon. I believe it will entail prepping and preparing a 3 course meal. (Appetizer, Salad and Entree).

You do NOT have to be culinary school trained to apply and attain certification, and ACF is not the only certification available.

You can also certify through the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) through their CCP - Certified Culinary Professional certification. Chef Stephan Viau, Certification Chairman for the IACP will be attending our upcoming SUMMIT this month in Minneapolis, MN to discuss certification options for personal chefs through the IACP, and we will also be discussing certification through ACF as well.

These are the only 3rd party accredited certifications of any credibility that we know of.
Once again, please remember that certification is OPTIONAL and will be for quite some time to come. We're talking a decade or more here, so don't panic and make yourself crazy. Certification is a PROCESS to be attained over the course of a career, NOT something that you rush out and try to accomplish overnight. If you choose to do it at all, do it thoughtfully, purposely and consciously.

Thanks again for your post!
candy

Hi my name is shawn and I'am a excutive chef for a country club. I would like more info. about the cert. on being a personal chef. I am part of the apca. and would like to know more about the certification process. thanks chef shawn

Chef Shawn,

In addition to the above info in this thread, please refer to the following links:

http://www.acfchefs.org/certify/pcec.html
http://www.acfchefs.org/certify/pcc.html

Thanks for your question.

Dennis