Certified Sous Chef™

Application | Requirements | Recommended Study Materials

Application

Certified Sous Chef Application
Please send application and documentation of completed requirements to:
American Culinary Federation
180 Center Place Way
St. Augustine, FL 32095

Requirements

In addition to the requirements listed below, you must provide documentation of three 30-hour courses—one in Nutrition, one in Food Safety and Sanitation, and one in Supervisory Management. If these courses were taken more than five years ago, an eight hour refresher course is required in each topic. These courses are available at Chefcertification.com or any accredited school.

• Minimum Job Experience: Minimum Job Experience: Five years as an entry level culinarian. Experience must be within the past 10 years. Candidates with an Associates degree in culinary arts require three years experience as an entry level culinarian or successful completion of an ACFEF Apprenticeship program. Employment Documentation Forms
  
  
• Minimum Educational Requirements: High school diploma/GED plus 50 hours of continuing education. If you do not have a high school diploma/GED, 150 hours of continuing education are required. Hours earned for mandatory courses and/or refreshers are included in the minimum CEH requirement.
  
  
• Written Exam: ACF written exams are administered by Comira. The written exam fee is $75. An ACF number is required at time of registration. To request an ACF identification number contact certify@acfchefs.net prior to registration. You can register for the exam by calling (800) 947-4228, option 4, Mon.–Fri. 6 a.m.–5 p.m. Pacific time, Sat. 8 a.m.–noon Pacific time, or you can register 24/7 at the ACF/Comira Online Registration Site. Please note that you must have a credit card to register online. Written exam scores are valid for two years. Learn more about the new CSC written exam domains, task and knowledge areas.
  • Candidates have 1½ hours to complete the 100 multiple choice question exam.
  • No support materials other than pens, pencils, and stand-alone calculators are permitted.
  • You will receive a scaled score.
  • If you do not pass the written exam there is a 30 day waiting period before retesting is allowed after the first attempt and a 90 day waiting period after the second unsuccessful attempt.
  • Candidate is limited to three attempts per calendar year.
  • Recommended Reference Materials
• Practical Exam: All levels of ACF certification require candidates to be tested for practical skill proficiency. The CSC practical exam is two hours and can be taken at any ACF Approved test site. A score of 300 is required to pass. Practical exam scores are valid for one year.
  
  To help you prepare for the Practical Exam, review the Practical Exam Candidate Manual.