Too all Chefs?

Question

What is the deffernce between a ACF Ceritfied and non ceritfied Schools. The reason why I ask this question is because I am thinking about going to French Culinary Ins or The Sullivan University National Center for Hospitality ... One has a ACF ceritfiedtion the dosen't.

Answer 1

The ACF certified school is always going to be your best option, but the problem is what you want to do AFTER you finish. If you decide to go to FCI, to the best of my knowledge, they are not certified by Western Association of Schools and Colleges, meaning that any classes you take are not transferrable to another school with a good hospitality program, like Cornell University. Also, depending on the years you attend, graduation rates can be pretty dismal. There are many factors to consider when looking for a culinary school, outside of accreditation or certification. My recommendation is to talk to a chef-instructor, if you know one, that is unbiased in their opinions. Forty thousand dollars is a lot of money to throw away if you decide to go to graduate school and have to repeat classes.

Answer 2

The ACF stands for 'Association Culinaire Francaise', you will be able to secure a much higher profile job in the industry if you attend the ACF approved centre.

Good luck and enjoy the cookery course, been doing it for 20 years and still learning!

Answer 3

American Culinary Federation Foundation Accrediting Commission (ACFFAC) programmatic certification is a quality assurance program geared toward secondary schools and is a voluntary action on the part of the school. It requires that curriculum, faculty, facilities, resources, support staff and organizational structure all meet the standards set by the Commission. Culinary educators and professionals in the culinary arts and food service industries established the standards, required knowledge and competencies. The standards provide the criteria for structuring a quality program with measurable student outcomes. The Commission monitors the accreditation program to ensure its quality and effectiveness.
Accreditation in the United States involves non-governmental peer evaluations of educational institutions and programs. Regional, national, and specialized accreditors have established criteria and procedures for evaluating institutions or programs to determine whether or not they are operating at basic levels of quality. In most other countries, accreditation or quality assurance is carried out by government organizations.


American Culinary Federation Foundation Accrediting Commission


Understanding that the future of the culinary industry would be determined by the competence of the individuals entering the field, the American Culinary Federation (ACF) established the American Culinary Federation Foundation Accrediting Commission (ACFFAC). The ACFFAC, recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), provides regulatory oversight of post-secondary institutions.


The primary function of the ACFFAC is programmatic accreditation. This specialized accreditation is a voluntary action on the part of the institution that requires curriculum, faculty, resources, support staff, and organizational structure all meet or exceed quality standards.


Culinary or foodservice programs that are accredited by the ACFFAC have been reviewed against established standards. These programs undergo a self-evaluation and report their findings to the ACFFAC. The ACFFAC then authorizes a fact-finding team to visit the school to verify compliance with the standards. The self-evaluation, the report of the fact-finding team, and the program response to the fact-finding report, are studied. The ACFFAC then grants accreditation to programs that meet the published standards.

Answer 4

While I can't definitively answer that, I'd go with the certified school. Certifications on the ol' resume look better than a non-certified school.

Answer 5

I agree with the first answer!!!