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(Members are commonly known as a Tchef)

What makes registration as a professional chef with the Institute uniquely different from membership of any other chef’s association.
First registration as a Tchef is the highest national accreditation that can be acquired as a professional chef in Australia. AITC membership identifies Certification – Experience and Professional attitude.
A genuine professional chef requires two levels of skills: HARD SKILLS AND SOFT SKILLS.

• Hard skills are measured by basic training, experience, and often aligned with an obscure title or a degree of authority: EG. apprentice, cook, chef, station chef, master chef, sous-chef, executive sous-chef, executive chef, chef de cuisine, head cook head chef, corporate chef, and the many descriptions in occupations that require the competencies of a legitimate hard skilled chef, e.g., company representatives, cookery teachers, consultants etc.
• Then we have universal labels that are used to attempt to identify a person who cooks for a living EG. master chef, celebrity chef, demonstration chef, etc. These titles do not necessarily describe the title holder’s industrial responsibility and often they may not even have legitimate hard skills of a chef.

Soft skills are much harder to quantify, however, ultimately soft skills form the most important attributes that makes up a PROFESSIONAL CHEF.
Soft skills are acquired in a second learning curve beyond basic training and experience, when a chef develops a professional mindset (Attitude) where:

•       Continuous Professional Development,
•       Flexibility,
•       Being Confident,
•       Follows Agreed Culinary Codes,
•       Demonstrates Leadership,
•       Is Self-Disciplined,
•       Is Self-Motivate
•       And has a Work Ethic

are a vital companion to hard skills as a professional.

A professional chef requires both legitimate hard and soft skills. As does a registered TechnicalChef.

A TechnicalChef is the culinary equivalent to a chartered chef (akin to a chartered accountant verse an accountant).