November 13, 2018
World Association of Chefs Societies (WorldChefs) entered a groundbreaking partnership with online culinary school Rouxbe, creating affordable, flexible career-advancement opportunities for culinary workers around the world.
Current and aspiring chefs who seek professional certification can complete Rouxbe’s online professional certification courses and be eligible to receive certification at the chef de partie and commis levels from WorldChefs, a globally recognized certifying body and standard-setter for culinary achievement. WorldChefs is a worldwide umbrella organization comprised of independent chef associations in top key countries, including the American Culinary Federation (ACF) and Canada’s Culinary Federation.
Particularly notable is WorldChef’s enthusiasm for the partnership with Rouxbe, given that the 90-year old organization is built on the traditional philosophy of classic French training. Rouxbe, an innovator in online education, is the first online school to receive WorldChef’s endorsement.
The partnership was spearheaded by Rouxbe’s Chief Culinary Officer, Ken Rubin and WorldChef’s Director of Education, Chef John Clancy.
“WorldChefs is delighted to partner with Rouxbe’s unique online training programs,” says WorldChef President Thomas A. Gugler. Rouxbe’s professional- level programs, a key component of the school’s multi-faceted course offerings, cover most of WorldChef’s classic skills required to gain certification; as well as in- demand contemporary skills that equip employers and workers for future industry needs – such as training in farm-to-table systems and eliminating food waste.
Rouxbe’s 200-hour professional course offers instructional content found in top professional culinary schools, taught through 27 units with tools including 200 video lessons, student tasks, and instructor feedback and grading. The self-paced course was designed and is managed by leading chef educators with deep experience in well-respected, established cooking schools from around the United States and Canada.
The Rouxbe-Worldchef partnership now allows training and certification at a fraction of the cost of traditional schools and no need for student loans, an issue currently under scrutiny in the U.S. Rouxbe tuition alone is one-tenth of a typical community-college level culinary program (which averages $10,000 per program), and the savings are even more significant when compared to the cost of private culinary institutions with tuition price tags comparable to four-year private undergraduate programs.
Beyond actual tuition, Rouxbe students can continue working without the interruption needed to attend a traditional school. The online courses can be accessed from anywhere, and students determine the pace that fits their learning style and time constraints.
Those same financial and scheduling benefits flow to employers as well. Now institutions – from small independent restaurants to major hospitality corporations – can provide widely recognized training and development for their employees at low cost and without staff disruption.
Under the new partnership, Rouxbe courses can also provide continuing education credits needed by currently working chefs in order to gain recertification.
Rubin emphasized that “Rouxbe’s collaboration with WorldChefs demonstrates a shared commitment to providing rich content to our audience in as many ways as possible. We are very excited about this partnership, which provides a truly great opportunity for learners around the world to engage in foundational culinary training – completely online.”
