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A.I.T.C Profile Handout – Australian Institute of TechnicalChefs. Inc (AITC) Chefs, Ladies and Gentleman. There is a new and refreshing vision of a career of a chef. A chef was once considered in the community to be a highly specialized expert in food preparation. A person who had a responsible occupation, an artist, an artisan, a professional, and a person who could prepare, deliver and manage quantity food production. Unfortunately this view has somewhat diluted over the past few years. However, due to an initiative by a group of chefs, keen to protect the reputation of a professional chef, a national association of professional chefs has been created that aims to return the reputation and perception of a chef to its rightful place. AITC or the Australian Institute of Technical Chefs is an association for opinion leaders and skilled specialists that particularly targets chefs who understand their responsibilities as a professional. This association adds: Authenticity, Respectability and Creditability to a genuine professional image and bio What is the Australian Institute of Technical Chefs? Understand the current real situation: Every day we experience articles, radio and TV programs, and more, that demonstrate the title CHEF is now generally misunderstood in the media and community. Over the past few years the title Chef has been hijacked. Unfortunately a chef is now believed or implied to be anyone who is associated with food in any way without considering the entire attributes that make up a genuine professional. EG:
These are just a few examples of the daily misuse of the title chef which now demonstrates means professionally and industrially much less compared to yesteryear and what the occupation really is. Additionally, by the standard of professional dress and behavior in public by some who call themselves a chef, demonstrates an alarming infiltration of unsuitable individuals into the vocation. The title is now grossly overstated, inappropriately used in marketing, and grossly misunderstood by media. AITC was set up in late 2015 by a group of chefs who were concerned with the growing public misconception of what a professional commercial chef actually means, what a genuine chef does, and the community awareness of the minimum values a professional chef must naturally have. In many recent professional competitions, there are increasingly atrocious technical standards. The evidence of the decline in technical skills, knowledge dress standards and behavior has been gathering momentum over the past few years across the commercial cookery industry in Australia. Following alarming comments from some participants and senior chefs, and after further private investigations, it became blatantly apparent there was an urgent need for a registration service to separate genuine professional chefs from the growing number of cowboys. In October 2015, a group convened and formed a council to create the AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNICAL CHEFS, during November and December, wrote a Constitution, By-laws, Incorporated as a not- for – profit organisation, created a logo and legally protected the name: TechnicalChef. Details at http://technicalchef.com The concept is simple, and is being supported by a growing number of elite professional chefs who have joined the institute. A chef will never be government licensed (face the reality) therefore genuine professional chefs must license their own. As small as the organisation is currently, in truth, TechnicalChef is the first licensing of chefs in Australia. The strength and affect of the organisation will ultimately depend upon who joins rather than numbers. Provided the Institute insists on strong, measurable and objective standards of entry, ensuring members are aware of their ethical obligations as identified in professional codes of conduct and attentive to the Institutes expectations of continued self development, this association could ultimately transforms the trade of cookery into a professional career of the highest integrity and competence. This can be achieved, simply by industry licensing and promoting legitimate professional and/or those in associated occupations that emanated from a career as a professional chef. (This has started to happen) http://www.technicalchef.com/registry-2/ Simple concept – One proves they have five attributes and will follow the Institutes principles; they are licensed to use a logo to show they are a professional commercial chef. Or a TechnicalChef To prevent rouge claims, members are also verified on the internet by their registration number and picture. AITC started to receive applications in January 2016 from trade professionals who continue to apply their skills and knowledge and uphold trade values and ethics. This ideology is in stark contrast to the vast numbers of people now calling themselves a chef, with no regard for or knowledge what the title chef actually stands for, nor bound by any agreed industry standards or rules of professional conduct. The process to PROVE one is a professional chef is lengthy, and objective. One cannot just fill a form, and by a show of hands in a committee obtain lifelong approval as a professional. Three factors need to be realised.
AITC is not in conflict with any existing chefs organisation. AITC is a REGISTRATION AND VERIFICATION ASSOCIATION, based on set principles. The association does not claim to be an organisation that delivers social networking or competitions, and A.I.T.C fully supports other chefs organisations. AITC is a registration service for every legitimate chef, member of any association or not. The basic philosophy of AITC is:
It is in the interest of every legitimate professional chef to join AITC to protect their own future. AITC is managed by a group of nine councillors There are five officers and four general managers who form the council: President – Vice President – Secretary – Treasurer – Registrar Four general managers: Branding Marketing – Education – Industry Liaison Additionally, the institute is in the process of appointing brand ambassadors across Australia who will be key representatives for a state, or geographical region. The association conducts regular meetings (including on the internet) Applications Applications are purely internet driven, and the mere cost of registration is $25 per year, for the two years. Every member has to provide documented evidence of industry grounding and prove fitness for induction into the Institute. This has occurred from President down, and there are NO exceptions to this policy. To renew membership, members are required to show continuous development activities and accumulate 50 credit points in activities every two years prior to re-registration. The Institute has identified a sizeable and growing list of professional activities that accrue credit points that include: – Enriching experiences: like entering competitions. – Networking experiences: such as Membership of A.C.F or LTB. – Advisory experiences: such as Culinary Judge. – Education experiences: such as attending short courses and master classes. – The growing approved list may be seen on the website. Induction requirements: There are 5 conditions for approval to be inducted into the Institute. Skills and Knowledge“ Assessed by AITC approved technical qualifications, (Minimum 1000 technical education credit points).
Fitness– Assessed by the independent opinion of three industry referees, augmented by evidence of participation in culinary self-development activities post formative training. Experience– Assessed by the time spent in practice in a commercial kitchen – a minimum of six years or 12,000 hours. Commitments – Self-development – Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to continuous self-improvement and provide evidence of 50 credit points every two years for subsequent re-registration. Obligations – Agree to adhere to the Australian Culinary Codes of Practice. The descriptions above are only a brief summary, please read the full details of entry requirements. To complete an application requires a considerable amount of time and thought, including preparing CV, coping certificates, arranging referees and self-evaluation to ensure one fulfils the entry requirements. Details of this initiative are seen on the AITC extensive website. |