C.E.C.

I just recently attained my certification through the ACF (American Culinary Federation) as a C.E.C. (Certified Executive Chef). I never thought much about continuing my education through this organization until I recently started working in Colorado. During culinary school, Iwas involved in numerous cooking competitons and felt mesmerized by the following of chefs towards the ACF. As I furthered my career, I lost interest in the organization and felt like there was nothing worth pursuing unless I wanted to become a teacher or trade show chef. About six months ago I got the urge to start my certification and wonder if I could take on the challenge of completing all the qualifications. I started out with a 3 hour cooking exam that required me to prepare a 3 course meal with mandatory ingredients, cooking techniques, and specific knife skills. I passed this part with a 89% and felt good about the grade. The next part was taking a written exam of 100 questions in 1 hour and passing with at least a 70%. I got an 84% and only took 14 minutes to finish the test, maybe I should have slowed down to actually read the ones I missed. Next was attaining 150 hours of industry related involvement and verifying my work history as a Chef De Cuisine/Executive Sous Chef. Finally I had to pass three 30 hour courses in Nutrition, Sanitation, and Management. Now that I have this certification it adds to my reportoire of accomplishments for future endeavors. I'm not sure if I will pursue the next step towards becoming a C.M.C. (Certified Master Chef). Less than 100 hundred chefs have passed this 8 Day Exam since it originated in 1981. As for now, I will continue to further my knowledge in this business and strive to continue challenging myself. If your interested in the ACF, please check out the new website, http://www.acfchefs.org/