AITC – ARTICLES -Fear V Obsessive Passion

(Members are commonly known as a Tchef)

What makes registration as a professional chef with the Australian Institute of TechnicalChefs unique?

Registration is the highest national industry accreditation and status that can be acquired as a chef in Australia. AITC membership identifies: Certification – Experience and Professional Conduct.

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, 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.
  • Universal labels are also 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 the legitimate hard skills of a chef.
  • Soft skills are much harder to quantify, however, ultimately soft skills form the most important attribute 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) which includes:
  • Continuous Professional Development,
  • Flexibility,
  • Confidence,
  • Follows agreed Culinary Codes,
  • Demonstrates:
  •  Leadership,
  • Self-Discipline,
  • Self-Motivation
  • And a professional Work Ethic

These soft skills 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 (TCHEF) is the culinary equivalent to a “chartered” chef (akin to a chartered accountant versus an accountant).

For over 40 years chefs have ‘dreamed’ that one day (Cooks and Chefs) will be all aligned to a single accreditation. TechnicalChef is implementing a national system that fulfils this ‘dream’.