The CCA Certification is ideal for club chefs looking to demonstrate their business and managerial expertise.
Culinary professionals who have reached the Executive Chef level can expand their studies and earn the Certified Culinary Administrator (CCA). Offered by the American Culinary Federation—the most prominent chef organization in America—a club chef may seek this esteemed title to expand their business operations and human resources skills to take on a leadership role in the club’s kitchen.
By adding this certification to their title, a Certified Culinary Administrator can prove that they’ve mastered both the culinary side of their career as well as crucial skills to steer the club’s dining operations. This expert chef can now lead the way for hiring, staff management, business planning, and budgeting as well as a list of supportive services like marketing and strategic planning.
Similar to the certification process for becoming a Certified Executive Chef through the ACF, an aspiring CCA must prove both experience and educational credits before completing a test and application for the certification.
Requirements for Becoming a Certified Culinary Administrator
To begin, a hopeful CCA must have spent at least three years as an Executive Chef in the past decade, managing three full-time staff members or more during the process. The club chef must also meet one of these basic education requirements:
- High school diploma or GED
- 250 continuing education hours
- Culinary Arts Associates Degree
- Completion of the ACFEF Apprenticeship Program
Additionally, club chefs must have completed a range of 30-hour courses that focus on nutrition, food safety and sanitation, management, and human resources. After completing the written ACF exam and submitting both an application and written narrative regarding their managerial responsibilities, the chef is then considered for certification.
This title opens the doors to top administrative roles in the club including that take on more of a strategic and managerial role with the staff and the future of the club’s culinary business.