Saline's Musto  Earns Certified Executive Chef Designation from the American Culinary Federation

Chef Sam Musto, Culinary Arts Instructor for the SWWC at Saline High School earns Certified Executive Chef designation from the American Culinary Federation. 

This process involved the following:

1.      Education Accomplishments: 

• Associate's Degree in Culinary Arts, B.S. degree in Human Resources, M.A. degree in Industrial Relations.

• Mandatory Course Requirement: Five 30 hour courses in each of the following: Nutrition, Food Safety & Sanitation, Supervisory Management, Beverage Management and Cost Control Management.

2.      Work Experience: Over twenty-five years as a r Chef in charge of food production in a foodservice operation. 

 3.      Exam Requirement: Successful completion of written exam and a three hour cooking practical exam.

He passed the written exam in April and passed the practical exam on May 25, 2019 at the Culinary Institute of Michigan in Port Huron. The assessment for certification practical testing is divided into four general areas: Safety and Sanitation Skills; Organization; Craftsmanship Skills; Finished Product Skills.

The candidate’s skills are evaluated during the examination period through frequent monitoring by the evaluators. The practical examination is scored overall as pass or fail. Points are calculated in various areas and a total numerical score is calculated. A total averaged score of 75% (75 points) or better is considered passing.

For centuries, European Guilds have bestowed the title of Master Chef on their most worthy Culinarian. However, it wasn’t until 1973 that the American Culinary Federation (ACF), the largest and the oldest professional organization of Chefs in the United States, established certification for cooks and chefs in America.

Three years later in 1976 the ACF successfully launched their campaign to elevate the Cook status from a domestic occupation to include a Professional Chef status in the U.S. Department of Labor's Dictionary of Official Titles. Then around 1981 the ACF established the Master Chef certification program as a means of encouraging chefs to strive for excellence and to improve the image of American chefs around the world.

Today, the ACF is the only professional organization registered with the U.S. Department of labor to provide culinary certifications in America, thereby guaranteeing that every cook or chef bearing its trademarked titles has the education and experience to meet the most-diverse demands of the modern foodservice industry.

Now more than 14,000 certifications have been awarded by the ACF at 14 different levels ranging from Certified Culinarian to the prestigious Certified Master Chef credential. At present there are only 71 Certified Master Chefs and 2,281 Certified Executive Chefs in the United States.

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