YOUR BROTHERS (AND SISTERS) IN ARMS: THE AMERICAN CULINARY FEDERATION

Every profession has a club of some sort. There are big prestigious ones, like the American Medical Association. There are small ones, like the BMW Isetta Owner's Club. But the benefits of joining a club are obvious: the ability to share your knowledge and passions with others of like mind, combining resources and reaping the rewards of a shared affinity. For chefs in this country, the association of choice is The American Culinary Federation.

It boasts more than 240 chapters throughout the United States with a membership of over 18,000. For all culinarians of any age, skill, and specialties, the American Culinary Federation offers considerable scope for advancing their careers as well as improving their own life. Becoming a member of this organization has many benefits, as you will be able to join forces with a number of other chefs and cooks in and around America as well as worldwide to share your knowledge as well as make more contacts in the industry.





The Benefits
When you become a member of ACF you will obtain the following benefits: First, be affiliated with the largest culinary organization that will enhance the image of chefs, obtain complimentary term life insurance, get access to ACF's career center, have dual membership in the World Association of Chef Societies, get your fees discounted to obtain professional certification, find scholarship opportunities for further education and lastly, obtain discount prices from ACF partners' products and services.

ACF also offers educational resources for budding culinarians and provides certificates, accreditations, and apprenticeships as well as online training. There are 14 different levels of accreditation that ACF provides and well-qualified students may undergo both practical cooking and baking classes as well as complete a course in food safety, nutrition and management at a supervisor's level.





Career Enhancement
Apprenticeship at ACF is an on-the-job training program along with technical instruction in the classroom. ACF accreditation is given to those who attend the post secondary culinary level schools and these should meet the standards set by the American Culinary Federation Foundation Accrediting Commission.

Scholarships offered by ACF through its foundation are available to those attending culinary school in addition to professional chefs working within the hospitality industry who desire to study further and enhance their educational qualifications.

Extracurricular Activities
In addition to education and becoming a member of ACF, you can also attend a number of events such as regional conferences, national convention and other competitions every year. There is also the ACF career center where both job seekers and recruiters may post on the forum and do a search for job openings, personal job alerts, view resumes, post a job opening, post products as well as their pricing and create personal accounts.

ACF also has the American Academy of Chefs, which is its honor society that recognizes the achievements of fellow culinarians. ACF is also represented overseas through ACF Culinary Team USA and its Seal of Approval program is valuable for the endorsement that ACF provides.