A Legacy of Professionalism Since the Roaring Twenties . . .
The American Culinary Federation (ACF), Inc., a professional, not-for-profit organization for chefs and cooks, was founded in 1929 in New York City by three chefs’ organizations: the Société Culinaire Philanthropique, the Vatel Club, and the Chefs Association of America. The principal goal of the founding chefs remains true to ACF today—to promote the professional image of American chefs worldwide through education among culinarians at all levels, from apprentices to the most accomplished certified master chefs.

Largest and Most Prestigious Professional Organization of Chefs in the United States . . .
ACF is the largest and most prestigious organization dedicated to professional chefs in the United States today. It was the pioneer responsible for elevating the position of executive chef from service status to the professional category in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Dictionary of Official Titles in 1976.

Leading the Way In Cutting Edge Culinary Competitions and Education . . .
ACF sanctions domestic culinary competitions and oversees any international competitions that take place in the United States. ACF culinary competitions were founded on the principle of education and the sharing of culinary techniques and developments. ACF shares these ideas through videos, cookbooks, and techniques manuals such as The Art and Science of Culinary Preparation, the 600-page standard reference book of the culinary industry.

Keeping Chefs Abreast of Industry Trends in Cuisine . . .
Through seminars and workshops at national conventions and regional conferences, as well as ongoing programs provided by ACF chapters and other groups throughout the United States, ACF strives to upgrade the skills and knowledge of its members. Presentations range from programs on world cuisines to food labeling, nutrition, sanitation, and management. Members are entitled to receive ACF’s official monthly journals, The National Culinary Review and Center of the Plate, which keep them abreast of the ever-changing culinary industry.

ACF Exclusives . . .
The American Culinary Federation helps to set professional standards for culinary education and assists in career development. Registered with the U.S. Department of Labor, ACF operates the only comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States. ACF certification is a valuable credential awarded to cooks and chefs and pastry cooks and pastry chefs after a rigorous evaluation of industry experience and professional education and after thorough testing. More than 10,000 certifications have been awarded by ACF in the last 25 years at five different levels, from certified culinarian to the prestigious certified master chef. ACF’s master chef testing process is highly regarded worldwide.

ACF Apprentices Span the United States . . .
ACF offers approximately 80 culinary and pastry apprenticeship programs around the country. More than 18,000 apprentices have been enrolled in the last two decades by ACF-approved supervising chefs in ACF-sponsoring houses. These establishments range from full-scale, family owned restaurants to resorts such as The Balsams in New Hampshire and The Cloister in Sea Island, Georgia, and include restaurants in large hotels like The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta. On completion of the three-year apprenticeship program, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship program graduates are granted ACF’s certified culinarian status.

ACF Accredits Post-Secondary Culinary Programs . . .
The ACF Accrediting Commission is the national accrediting commission for the culinary, pastry, and educational programs at post-secondary institutions. As culinary careers have gained more prominence, culinary programs have developed at an accelerated rate. ACF recognized a need to develop a system to monitor culinary programs for quality performance and, as a result, the ACF Accrediting Commission was formed in 1986. This process ensures that industry standards are met within the educational environment.

ACF Secondary Certification grants programmatic accreditation to secondary and vocational culinary arts programs....
Students graduating from an ACF Secondary Accredited culinary arts program are required to complete the ACF Culinary Proficiency Test administered through the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute.
Students are eligible to earn the ACF designation of ACF Certified Secondary Graduate. Certified Secondary Graduates are ready to progress to the next stage in their careers, which may include participation in an ACF apprenticeship program, pursuit of a college degree from an ACF-accredited post-secondary institution, or placement in the industry.

The American Academy of Chefs, the Honor Society of Chefs in America . . .
The American Academy of Chefs (AAC), ACF’s honor society, was organized in 1955 to recognize culinary professionals whose contributions have positively affected the culinary industry and who reflect an image that perpetuates the profession of future culinarians. The AAC established the Hall of Fame in 1988 to honor ACF’s most elite group of culinarians.

Fighting Childhood Hunger in America: The ACF Chef & Child Foundation . . .
The Chef & Child Foundation (CCF) is "the voice and army of the American Culinary Federation in its fight against childhood hunger in America." ACF chapters across the country work in their local communities to provide nutrition-based education programs to children in preschool through grade five. Chefs foster awareness of the problems of childhood hunger, poverty, and nutrition as they relate to food, and they work to train agencies that receive foods donated through food rescue programs. Chef & Child is a 501(c)3 charity, as designated by the Internal Revenue Service.

North America Representative for Million-Member Intercontinental Society . . .
Every ACF member is simultaneously enrolled in the World Association of Cooks Societies (WACS), a worldwide association of millions of cooks and chefs representing 54 nations across five continents. ACF is the representative organization for the United States.

USA Culinary Team for the Internationale Kochkunst Austellung . . .
Other spheres of influence within ACF include the management of the official team of chefs that represents the United States in international culinary competitions, including the prestigious Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung, or International Culinary Olympics, held every four years in Germany. The 2000 ACF USA Culinary Team won six gold medals and took first place in several categories, and the 1996 ACF USA Culinary Team brought home 58 medals, more medals than any other country.

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